Fear of the Unknown
by Alex Kade
Summary: No slash! Jensen is in trouble, big trouble, and it's up to the team to save his life.  *note - please don't bail when you come to the OOC parts in the first couple chapters. I promise there is an explained and planned reason for this behavior!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Sorry to the folks that are following me for my other fics. I know I promised I'd finished those before working on any new fics, but I just love Losers so much. Plus, when Chris Evans played Jensen, he was just so completely perfect that now I can't read the comics without envisioning him as the character. I love it! I couldn't help myself...But look on the bright side - my fanfic muse is back!

To newbies of my writing style, I write scripts. Therefore, my fanfics are as close to script format as I can get without them being illegal to post here. That means everything is in present tense and there are no "inner thoughts" going on. You have to read it as if you were watching it play out on screen.

I hope you enjoy!

* * *

"Whoo! Now _that_ was a rush!" Jensen yells as his head breaks the surface of the water. "I mean, they _say _white-water rafting is a thrill, but throw in a bunch of guys with guns and a forty foot waterfall, and you've got yourself a trip more exciting than Disneyland!"

The other members of the team surface at nearly the same time, sputtering water as they are swiftly pulled down the river by the twisting current.

Clay looks around, checking to see that all his team members are accounted for. "Is everyone okay?" he shouts over the fading roar of the falls behind them.

"Just peachy!" Pooch hollers back, doing his best to shout and sound sarcastic at the same time.

"What the fuck was that?" Aisha yells in place of an answer.

"Where's my fucking hat?" Cougar questions, barely audible.

Jensen laughs. "Nice word play, Cougs!" he shouts, and gets a glare in response. "Awe, don't tell me that little rhyme wasn't on pur-" Cougar glares at him even harder. "Yeah, yeah, shutting up." Without missing a beat, he immediately turns towards Clay, eyebrows raised. "Ya know, I like a refreshingly cold dip as much as the next guy, but my boys have migrated a tad further north than I'm comfortable with, and I'd _really_ prefer they didn't stay there."

Clay grins, nods, and points upstream. They begin to span the broad width of the river, swimming with the current at an angle towards the shore. On their way, they grab whatever items they think may be useful from the wreckage of their raft, Cougar managing to reclaim his hat in the process. Finally, Clay is able to get his feet underneath him, nearly stumbling as the water rushing around his legs threatens to sweep him back out. Very slowly, he trudges for the shore, glancing back at the progress of the team. Cougar is not too far behind, keeping his head down as he focuses on his footing and the items he has tucked beneath his arms. Pooch finds the area where he can touch bottom, slips a little, then regains his balance with a curse. Aisha is nearly there, keeping a steady rhythm with her arms as she glides through the water; and Jensen is lagging behind a bit, holding onto some sort of box with one hand as he pulls himself along with the other, muttering God-knows-what to himself.

When the water gets to his thigh-high level, Pooch turns and laughs at Jensen's struggling form. "Who was it that was comparing himself to a dolphin earlier?" he shouts.

"That was" *pant* "a warm, salt-water dolphin meant to thrive in the" *pant* "Caribbean oceans. Does this look like a Caribbean ocean to you?" Jensen answers, twisting his body around so he can swim backwards, hugging the box to his chest with his other arm. "Plus," he continues, "right now I'm like a one-finned, cripple dolphin."

"Well, cripple dolphin," Pooch grins, "I hope whatever's in that box is worth drowning over."

Jensen finally makes it to the shallower water, breathing heavily. "Holy sweet _Jesus_, it's cold!" he spits out, raising a shaking hand above the water. "I think I have hypothermia. Do you think we have hypothermia? Does hypothermia cause sterility? I think I read that som- Oh my God!"

Everyone turns to see what the cause of Jensen interrupting himself was, following his gaze to rest on Aisha as she fully straightens herself out, water pouring off her thin t-shirt. She looks at them, looks down at herself, then rolls her eyes as she turns her back to the men who are near the shore. She locks onto Jensen's eyes, which are obviously _not_ looking back at hers.

"Jensen, I swear on everything holy that if you do not look away from my breasts right now, I will personally dig out your eyes with a river rock."

Snapping out of it, Jensen shakes his head and goes back to the task of pulling in his box as she rings out her shirt, trying her best to make it cling just a little less to her cold body. As Jensen gets closer to her, he stays lower in the water so he can keep the box floating on the surface instead of having to lift its full weight. She can finally make out which load he had managed to salvage.

"Awe, you grabbed our weapons. How sweet," she smiles.

"Yeah, well," he pauses, taking in a deep breath as he shudders, "I figured since the ones we were carrying probably aren't any good anymore, it might be smart to have the spare artillery around since there's, you know, guys with guns probably still wanting to see our brains splattered all over the rocks. I don't really think that'd be a good look for me." He stumbles forward and falls down onto his knees, quickly flipping over to a sitting position and spitting out the little bit of water he had sucked in.

"Oh please, that box floats," Aisha points out, reaching for it, "It can't be _that_ heavy." She grabs a handle and pulls it along the surface of the water, winking at him as she makes a point to show how easy it is for her.

"You weren't the one swimming with it," Jensen mutters as he gets back to his feet. He follows after her, not too exhausted to raise an eyebrow and smirk at the now-bent-over, full form of Aisha's backside. Without looking back, she raises a hand and flips him off, just causing his smirk to grow even wider.

Clay, having ditched his outer layer of freezing clothing, wades back out into the river to take one side of the box from Aisha. He glances up to see that Jensen has stopped walking a little ways back, a quizzical look on his face.

"Jensen?" he asks, "there a problem?"

Jensen cocks his head before meeting the Colonel's gaze. "Is it just my crazy brain doing one of those mind-over-matter things, or did everything just get exceptionally warmer out here?"

Clay opens his mouth to answer, but before he can speak, Jensen suddenly drops straight down into the water. The current makes quick work of picking up his limp form, pulling him away from the team and back out into the freezing river.

* * *

**A/N: **I should probably also mention that I love cliffies...


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Yeah, so I decided to take pity on you guys and throw in the next part. :) (Be mindful that it's late for me right now, so while I did proofread and edit, if there are grammar issues or missing words, it's 'cause my brain is sleepy!) Thanks for all the reviews, faves, and alerts! Those came fast!

* * *

"Shit!" Clay yells, dropping his side of the box and diving into the water. Aisha curses, too, taking the time to shove the weapons far enough into the shallow water that they won't be swept back out into the current. By the time she turns to help with the rescue, Pooch and Cougar are well ahead of her, trying their best to catch up to the Colonel and the unresponsive Jensen.

She curses again, turning her attention, instead, towards the shore. She drags the box the rest of the way up and leaves it on the rocks, moving quickly back into the woods. As she walks, she stoops down to pick up varying sizes of sticks and driftwood. "You'd better be alive, you little perv," she says under breath.

* * *

Clay pulls furiously at the water around him, rapidly cutting the distance between himself and Jensen. As he gets closer, he pauses for just a second to get a lock on the young techie's location. "Ah, hell," he hisses as he realizes Jensen is facedown in the water. He swims faster and within seconds he is able to reach an arm out, wrapping it around Jensen's torso.

"Jensen!" he tries as he flips the young man onto his back. He pulls his face in close, listening for just a second. "Goddammit," he whispers, and begins swimming back to the shore. It doesn't take long for him to meet up with Cougar and Pooch, and with all three working together, they make quick time in getting Jensen back to solid ground. Without hesitation, they lay him out and, with unspoken teamwork, begin to administer CPR. Clay handles the chest compressions, Pooch does the breathing, and Cougar counts out the time.

"Jensen, you son-of-a-bitch, you had better breathe," Pooch demands as he leans in to breathe for him for the third round. After the second breath, Jensen sputters and coughs violently, spraying water into Pooch's face.

"Get him up," Clay orders, and Cougar helps Jensen into a sitting position.

"Let it out, friend," Cougar soothes as Jensen regains control of his lung function.

Looking up into each of their concerned, yet relieved faces, Jensen turns to Pooch. "Dude?" he asks, his voice sounding shaky and tired. Pooch leans a little closer, listening, as Jensen continues. "Did you _kiss_ me?" he finishes, a playful grin on his face.

Pooch sits back, his jaw tightening. "Oh, fuck no!" he yells out, standing up and crossing his arms over his chest. "That's the thanks I get for providing you with precious oxygen? Fuck this shit! Next time I'll just let some of your brain cells die before I help you."

Cougar and Clay laugh, the tension releasing as they help pull Jensen to his feet, the blonde grinning from ear to ear. Pooch pulls back on the rubber band that is holding Jensen's glasses into place and snaps it to the back of his head, making him flinch.

"Hey, now that was just uncalled for," Jensen frowns.

"Can't help it," Pooch grins, "That thing looks ridiculous and it just screams _snap me!_"

"This 'thing' is the only reason I can still see that pretty face of yours, Mr. Prince Charming...How 'bout another kiss?" He leans in towards Pooch, making kissy faces, and Pooch pushes his face away, gently.

"You are such a punk," Pooch mutters, then lets his own laughter spill out. Slowly, with Clay and Cougar supporting Jensen between them, they make their way back down the river's shoreline to where Aisha is waiting with their gear.

* * *

Aisha, sitting on the weapons box in front of the fire she had created, finishes loading the clip of her handgun and jams it back into place, taking a second to aim it at nothing in particular. Her head jerks up over the gun as she spots the boys – all four of them – moving awkwardly in her direction. She stands as they approach, all of them shivering with the cold, Jensen barely able to stand, but all of them smiling.

"You guys look like a bunch of idiots," she says by way of greeting them, her own smile shining through.

"A fire," Jensen says, his voice taking on a dreamy, thankful tone in spite of the trembling. He turns to Aisha. "You're an angel. A beautiful, scary, gun-toting angel."

She snorts out a laugh, helping the boys get Jensen situated comfortably in front of the fire before she tugs on Clay's arm. He takes the hint and follows her away from the group.

"So, what happened?" she asks when they're out of earshot.

Clay shakes his head, shrugging his shoulders. "I have no idea. No gunshot wounds, no internal injuries as far as we can tell; he isn't hypothermic, despite all his paranoid protesting, which actually tells me that mentally he checks out. I don't know - he seems fine. Maybe he just passed out from exhaustion."

"Don't bullshit me, Clay. The way he went down back there? That wasn't exhaustion. Exhaustion makes you crumble, starting from the knees up. He didn't crumble, Clay. He dropped like a fucking rock, like every system in his body just shut down at the exact same time. That doesn't happen to people who are 'fine.'"

Clay sighs. "I know, but there's nothing we can do about it right now. As long as he's acting normal, the best we can do is keep an eye on him and focus on getting the hell out of here in one piece."

Done with the conversation, he turns to head back to the fire when Aisha speaks up softly behind him.

"_Can_ we get out of here in one piece?" she asks. "Those assholes are coming after us, and probably fast. We'll be moving through unfamiliar territory with virtually no survival gear, and it'll be hard enough watching our own backs without having to worry about babysitting-"

Clay spins on her quickly, his eyes blazing dangerously into hers. She stares back, unmoving, her face locked into a stone-cold mask of indifference. A second later, his eyes soften as he smiles at her.

"Sweetheart," he starts, still smiling, "I know you mean well, but if you _ever_ suggest I leave one of my men behind again, I'll make sure the one that gets left behind is _you. _Are we clear?"

"You know I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't think it'd be in the best interest of-"

His smile fades and he moves in on her closer. "Are. We. Clear?"

She smiles back at him. "Crystal," she purrs, her voice laced with sharp ice.

Clay backs off, perking right back up. "Good," he grins, "glad we could have this little talk."

She lets out a breath as he saunters back to the fire, waiting a few beats before she straightens up and strides along behind him.

* * *

**A/N: **There, see, no awful cliffie this time. Just all those unanswered questions concerning what's wrong with Jensen, and if the bad guys will catch up to them, and why the team was rafting down a river to begin with, and what the mission was, etc, etc... *evil* :)


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Ya know, I always forget to do the disclaimer thing...though I think it's safe to assume that on here, everyone fully admits to not owning the original material. It _is_ a fanfiction site, after all...

I love the reviews, folks! It's nice waking up in the morning to see your inbox full of alerts, faves, and messages with people screaming at you for cliffies and calling you evil and such, lol. I live for that! Thanks, everyone!

* * *

The team quickly maneuvers through the darkening woods, a small arsenal strapped to their bodies. Clay is leading with Aisha right behind him, Pooch and Jensen are in the middle, and Cougar is bringing up the rear. As they move, Pooch keeps stealing little glances over at Jensen, who finally stops, nodding as he turns towards him.

"I have a big ugly spider on my head, don't I," Jensen asks calmly, pauses, then immediately drops his shoulder bag and starts slapping at his head.

Pooch sighs, watching Jensen's little panic dance for a few seconds before speaking. "Stop that, you look like a retarded monkey. There's no spider."

"There's no spider?" Jensen asks, freezing in place with on hand still on his head.

"No spider," Pooch assures him, then adds, "baby."

Jensen notices the others are now all staring at him. "It's okay, everyone, there is _no_ spider. Abort the spider-killing mission. I repeat, that is an abort. You can all go back to your regularly scheduled fleeing through the woods."

When they begin to move again, Jensen looks at Pooch. "Soooo, is there something you wanna tell me? I mean, I know I'm pretty to look at and all, but you weren't exactly giving me the 'oh, please, do me now' eyes…Not that I would want you to, because that'd just be _really_ weird, especially after you kissed me and all."

"I swear to God, man, if you mention that one more time…," Pooch warns.

"What? You're gonna hurt me? Oooh, I'm so scared!" he teases. "Especially since I know the reason you keep looking at me is _probably _because you're worried about the whole almost-drowning thing; and I'm touched, really, but I assure you, I'm _fine_. I don't have hypothermia, the boys are back in their summer home, I have Sasha, here, too keep me company" he pats his bag, "and there are no holes in my body where there shouldn't be. Everything's yankee-doodle-dandy."

Pooch looks at him, flabbergasted. "There's a computer in that bag? That box was supposed to be for weapons _only_. Why the hell did you bring a computer?"

"You have your weapons, I have mine," Jensen smiles, "And, yes, mom, I remembered to pack the healthy snacks, too." He holds up his gun as proof, then also points to a knife strapped to his leg.

"Yeah, you're fine," Pooch mumbles, shaking his head before picking up his pace a little.

"What?" Jensen calls after him, "What'd I do?"

A soft voice suddenly speaks up behind him, startling him. "You're being too quite," Cougar says as he steps up to keep pace with him.

"_I'm_ being too quiet?" Jensen scoffs. "I'm being too quiet, says the guy that uses so few words that I can actually keep a running count of his vocabulary."

Cougar simply smiles and nods. Jensen falls silent for another few seconds, nodding his own head at first in understanding, then shaking it in complete confusion.

"What does that even mean, 'you're being too quiet?' Isn't that the whole idea of escape, here? We keep quiet so the bad guys can't hear us? How am I possibly being too quiet?"

"Because normally you're not," Cougar explains matter-of-factly. "Normally you're only quiet during covert ops…and when you sleep."

Jensen gasps, feigning hurt feelings. "That is not true! I don't talk during movies, because _that_ is just disrespectful, and I don't talk at funerals, or weddings, or….or…" he snaps his fingers, "or when the bingo lady is calling out the numbers. There are _plenty_ of times when I'm quiet. Quiet as a mouse _after_ it's been swallowed by the snake. Ha!"

"Sometimes," Cougar adds, "the mouse still screams from the inside as the stomach acids eat its flesh."

Jensen stops walking. "Oh, that's just - dude, now I'm gonna have nightmares. Thanks. Thank you, Cougar, for that _horrible_ mental image. You know what? You can go back to being creepy, quiet Cougar, now. You're just plain scary when you talk. Jesus!"

He continues to ramble on as they walk. At the front of the group, Clay leans back a little to talk to Aisha.

"That normal enough for you?" he asks her.

"I think I liked it better when he _wasn't_ acting normal," she responds, and Clay laughs.

* * *

Aisha is sleeping soundly when she is suddenly snapped to full consciousness by a hand covering her mouth and the cold steel of a knife pressing against her neck. She starts to struggle, but stops when the blade bites into her flesh, creating a small, but still painful, cut.

A hushed voice cuts through the darkness. "You think you can just stroll into our territory and do whatever you want?" it says, sounding dangerously angry. "You strut around acting like you're tough shit, playing at being boss, being the alpha _bitch_ of the pack; but I've got news for you, you stupid whore. You're nothing but a jack russell terrier biting at the ankles of a family of pit bulls. Eventually, one of them is going to bite back."

The blade starts to slowly draw down her neck, opening the previous cut into a deeper, wider one. She lets out a small, pained moan against her attacker's hand; and then suddenly the weight on her body is gone, disappearing backwards into the darkness. With lightening fast speed, she rolls onto her feet, her gun pointing towards the sounds of an intense struggle before her.

A hand reaches out, forcing her to lower her weapon. "Don't," Cougar says, handing her a flashlight before he rushes into the chaos. She lifts it, shining it before her in time to see Cougar, Pooch, and Clay forcing Jensen to his knees, pinning his arms behind him. He lets out an agitated scream as he goes down.

Still pulling against their hold on him, Jensen looks up, his eyes flashing in the light. His glasses having been lost in the struggle, there is nothing hiding the venomous, and pained, look he shoots at her.

"I thought we were friends!" he shouts.

"We are," she says coolly, "or at least we were 'til you put a knife to my neck."

"Traitorous _bitch!_" he screams. "Don't _fucking_ lie to me! I heard you back there! I heard every last fucking word!"

Clay glances up at her and they share a knowing look. Jensen twists against the grip on his arms one last time before frustration and fatigue win over. He relaxes forward as he starts to cry, his body heaving as his tears quickly become wracking sobs. Clay gives the nod for everyone to let go, and Jensen brings his hands up to his face, pressing his forehead to the ground. Pooch looks down at him, then back up at Clay.

"What the _fuck_ is going on?" he asks.

"I wish I knew," Clay answers, resting a hand on Jensen's shoulder as he cries.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **I have to dedicate this chapter to **gottalovealoser**. That was probably the funniest review I have _ever_ gotten, from any of my fics! For providing me with much entertainment (and so you don't lash out at unsuspecting victims around you), you get rewarded with a swift update!...woulda been faster, but I got distracted with all the buttons in the new car I got this morning...

* * *

Jensen blinks his eyes open slowly, yawns, then winces as he tries to move. He looks down at himself to discover he's been bound to a tree.

"Ah, man," ha mumbles, leaning his head back against the trunk.

Cougar kneels down in front of him. "You okay?" he asks.

Jensen continues to stare at the leaves above him. "Well. I'm tied to a tree - which, I might add, is a _very_ uncomfortable way to sleep – but, that aside, I'd say the _reason_ I'm tied to a tree is either there was some insane earthquake that I somehow slept through and I was put here for my own safety, or my dream of totally hulking out and then crying like a kid who just lost his puppy was actually real."

"You remember?" Cougar asks.

"Shit," Jensen says, blowing the word out in a sigh. "She's gonna kill me, isn't she?"

"No, I'm not going to kill you," Aisha says, walking up beside Cougar, "but don't think I didn't consider it."

She leans down, untying his bindings. He pulls his arms forward, rubbing at his shoulders, keeping one eye on her. She reaches a hand down offering to help him up, but he just looks at it, then up at the bandage on her neck.

"Aisha, I'm-" he starts.

"Save it, Jensen, I don't want your apology." She looks at Cougar, and that's all it takes for him to get the hint. He nods and walks off as she takes over his kneeling position in front of Jensen. He opens his mouth to speak.

"Shut up and listen," Aisha interrupts again. "I don't know how the hell you overheard us talking yesterday, and I sure as hell don't know what happened to you last night, but to me that only served to prove my point. Yesterday I was worried that you'd pass out again, and then we'd get killed while dragging your unconscious ass through the woods. Now I have to worry about _you_ being the one doing the killing." He turns away from her, looking ashamed. When she speaks again, her tone is softer. "I like you, Jensen, you know I do, but something is _seriously_ wrong with you. I'm just trying to look out for the rest of the team."

"I know," he says, then glances back over to her. "but I _really_ don't want to be left here in the woods by myself, and Clay won't let that happen, anyway. So, since that option's out, I say we all just do our best not to poke the proverbial giant green muscley dude inside my brain until we figure out what's going on, okay"

She smiles. "I guess I can do that."

Clay calls over from a few feet away. "Jensen, Aisha, we gotta move. Finish your make-up session on the way."

She stands and holds her hand out to him, once again. This time he lets her help him up, groaning as he stretches out his back. Pooch walks over to him, handing him his glasses.

"You dropped these last night," he says.

"See. That's _exactly_ why I should have kept the rubber band. I don't know why I listen to you, sometimes."

Pooch pats him on the shoulder. "Good to have you back to normal, man."

He walks off, Jensen following close behind rubbing at his neck.

"You guys seriously couldn't find something better to do with me than tie me to a freakin' tree? Really? I'm gonna need a serious massage when we get out of here."

"You're gonna need a bran scan when we get outta here," Pooch counters.

"...Yeah," Jensen says, then falls silent as he gathers up his gear for their next trek, not failing to notice that his gun and knife are nowhere in sight.

* * *

Max taps his fingers on the table in front of him.

"What do you mean, 'they're all gone?'" he asks the two gentlemen in suits sitting across from him.

"We mean exactly that, sir," one of the men explains. "Everything was stored in that computer, and despite our best efforts, they still managed to get through all our security measures."

"So, what?" Max asks, "It's just over? Done? Kaput? You have nothing to show for all my time and money?" He pulls out his gun and points it at them. "Because if that's the case, I really don't need to keep you gentlemen around any longer, now do I?"

"Wait, wait!" the second man says, waving his hands. "Let's not get hasty. The computer is completely wiped, yes, and it would be very difficult to start over from scratch. However, there is a way where we may not have to."

Max points the gun under the table, shooting the man in the leg. Ignoring the cries, he casually says, "I don't like the words 'may not.' Sounds like you aren't certain…but, you do have my attention. I'm listening."

Nervously, the first man continues to explain the situation as his associate whimpers beside him. "He meant, uh, we're positive we can recover our production methods _if_ you can deliver us the man who stole them from us. We believe he may have been infected" - Max twitches his finger on the trigger – "I mean, we _know_ the man has been infected, and if we can get him back, we can extract a sample from him in order to recreate the prototype."

Setting the gun in his lap, Max presses a hand to his head. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" he sighs, "Your so-called soldiers are no match for this team. They're probably half way to Abu Dhabi by now."

"But sir, Abu Dhabi's on the other side-"

"It was a figure of speech, moron. God, why are geniuses so fucking _dumb_ sometimes? Anyway, no matter, I'll get some men who actually know what they're doing to track down Clay's team." He stands, pushing himself away from the table. "You may want to get a doctor to look at that," he points out to the injured man as he makes his way to the door.

"Uh, sir?" the uninjured man tentatively calls out. "We'll need this man to be alive when you bring him in."

"You can't make this simple, can you?" Max says, shaking his head. "Fine. He'll be brought in alive.

"If it makes you feel better, sir, the extraction of the sample _will_ kill him."

Max perks up, raising his eyebrows. "Yeah? Will it be painful?"

"Very," the man smiles, "Very painful, and very slow."

Max's grin spreads wide. "That _does_ make me feel better. I'm glad you were the one I didn't shoot."

With that, he turns and walks out the door.

* * *

**A/N: ** There we go - a little explanation...sort of...well, it's a start. *shrug*


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Oh my god, my reviewers are ganging up on me! That's never happened before! Seriously, you guys are fantastic. I couldn't be a happier writer than I am right now. :) If I had this kind of feedback more often, I might be a little more inspired in my other fields….

* * *

"I said no, Jensen," Clay says, a slight edge to his voice.

"But it won't even take that much time," Jensen argues, "I go up, set up a link to the satellite, and - presto! - Sasha can pinpoint our _exact_ location."

Pooch steps forward. "At risk of sounding crazy for agreeing with the crazy guy, it would be nice to be able to find the fastest, safest way out of here."

Jensen gestures toward Pooch with both hands. "There, see? That's two votes against the current let's-just-head-west-and-hope-we-don't-die plan. Anyone else?"

Clay speaks before anyone else has a chance to. "You think I like walking through hostile, unfamiliar territory without a map?"

Jensen sucks air through clenched teeth, half shrugging, "Weeeellll,,,,," he implies.

"I don't," Clay snaps. "The problem I have with your plan is that the only person who can carry it out just spent the last twenty minutes laughing uncontrollably over a joke on the inside of his gum wrapper."

"Hey, that was a funny joke," Jensen says, trying to defend himself. He looks around at the others for support. "Right? The computers eat chips! When they get hungry, they…" Aisha rolls her eyes, Pooch shakes his head, and Cougar pulls his hat down a little further. "No? Not fu – okay, so it wasn't all that funny. I had another 'fit' or whatever we want to call them; but I'm completely fine now. I'll be up and down in ten minutes, tops."

Clay grabs Jensen's arm, pulling him forward as he points up at the nearest tree. "See that branch, there?" he asks, making sure Jensen nods before continuing, "If you fall from the top of that tree, odds are you're going to hit that branch. Do you know what'll happen when you do?"

Jensen squints his eyes at it. "I would, uh, yeah, I'd probably become Jensen-kabob."

"Exactly," Clay nods, "and no one here wants to see that."

"Okay, fine. I get it," Jensen relents.

"Good," Clay responds, only able to take a few steps forward before Jensen speaks again.

"But _that_ tree…" he says, pointing up at a different one. "Yeah, there are definitely no kabob-skewer branches up there. _That_ is the money tree."

"Jensen," Clay starts, turning around just in time to see the techie leap up towards the lowest branch. "Dammit, Jensen, that was an order!" he yells.

"That was an order," Jensen mocks quietly, making a quick ascent up the branches.

Cougar watches for a second, then looks at Clay. "Should I go after him?" he asks.

"No," Clay sighs, "We can't risk stirring him up. Just be ready to catch him if he falls."

* * *

Concentrating on the thinner branches, Jensen continues to pull himself up, singing to himself.

"I said your love, keeps liftin' me higher," he sings, "high-_igh_-er-er, higher and higher. _Higher!" _ A branch he reaches up to snaps as he pulls on it, and he quickly swings his weight back to the arm still gripping a solid hold.

"Woops, guess you aren't liftin' me any higher than this, Jackie" he mutters, situating himself so he can freely use his hands. He pulls his computer from the bag along with a small box that folds out into a mini satellite dish. Screwing a collapsible, thin metal rod onto the bottom of the satellite, he gently extends it out, feeding the dish up through the top of the tree. Satisfied that he has wedged it tightly in place, he cracks his knuckles and turns his attention to the laptop.

"All right, Sasha, I know this isn't your usual environment, but sometimes we have to work in shitty conditions to avoid being gunned down by The Man. Or, The Man's evil scientists. Or, I guess it would technically be the goons of The Man's evil scientists." He starts typing. "Now _that_ would just be sad, being killed by the minions of the minions. That'd be like third-gen inbred hamsters. With guns." The computer chimes a few times. "Scary thought, I know, but that's the way it is in this crazy world. I'd like to tell you that you'll learn all about it when you get older, but I can't lie to ya, Sasha – I go through laptops like Batman goes through Robins. This is a dangerous line of business you've gotten yourself into."

He types in a few more keys, sits back a bit, frowns, then flicks at the metal rod a couple times. The computer dings and he goes back to work, smiling satisfactorily, then suddenly jerks his head over his shoulder. He freezes in place, listening for a second, then turns further around as he tries to scan the forest behind and below him.

"Oh, fuck," he suddenly mutters. He takes a second to secure the computer within the tighter branches before swinging down the tree as fast, but as quietly, as he can.

* * *

Pooch, leaning against the trunk of the tree, feels a twig land on his head and he looks up. "Oh shit, he's comin' down fast," he says, stepping back.

Clay and Cougar rush forward, getting ready to catch him. Jensen jumps from a high branch, going over them and rolling when he hits the ground.

"Jensen, dammit, this is why I told you-" Clay begins.

"Shut up," Jensen says, and Clay flinches back just a tad in surprise. "Sorry, I didn't mean 'shut up,' in the same sense as – ah, fuck, nevermind that. There's guys coming up on us from the north and southeast, and they're circling around. They don't have our exact coordinates, yet, but we gotta move or they're gonna have us surrounded."

"How far out are they?" Aisha asks.

"I don't, I don't know. My hearing's all," Jensen sticks a finger in his ear and wiggles it a little. "Probably farther than it sounds like, which is exactly why we have to _go_ while we still have time."

The others look at each other, unsure.

"Guys, _please_ trust me on this," Jensen pleads. "This isn't a Crazy Jensen moment, this is real. Like the other day when I overheard you talking from like fifty feet away? Remember that?"

Clay thinks for just another second, then steps forward, pulling a gun out of his vest. He holds it out to Jensen. "You aim this at any of us, I will shoot you in the leg, you understand?" he asks, dead serious.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Jensen mutters sarcastically, tucking the gun away.

"Can you still hear them?" Clay asks, undaunted by Jensen's tone.

He listens for a few seconds before answering. "Yeah, they're somewhere over there" – he points as he talks – "and over there, getting ready to split up and move around like this…" he continues to gesture with his arms.

"You can hear all that?" Aisha asks, looking around.

"Like a damn bat," Jensen nods.

"Okay, losers, so what do we want to do?" Clay asks, "With bat boy, here, we can approximate they're location; so do we want to run, or do we want to go get 'em?"

Cougar picks up his rifle, pushing on the slide to put a round in the chamber.

"Good answer," Clay says, smiling. "Let's take those fuckers down."

* * *

"Delta, this is Beta, do you have confirmation?" a camouflaged soldier asks into his comm.

He waits a second before the voice on the other end replies. "Affirmative, Beta, it's a clean trail. Targets are maintaining a course of due west."

"How far out?" he asks.

"Estimated five hundred meters, sir."

"Affirmative, Delta, close in from your position. Beta Team 2 and Delta Team 2, close from the north and south, we'll hit 'em from the front."

He waits to hear from each unit before signaling his own team of four men to move. They only go a few paces before the one on the far left suddenly falls to the ground.

"What the?" the man beside him gets out, and then he, too, goes down. The man on the right gets pulled into the bushes, unable to make any sound, at all.

"Delta, this is-" the team leader starts to say, but goes quiet as a gun is pressed to his neck. He glances over to see that his last remaining man is also being held at gunpoint.

"I don't think so," Aisha hisses into his ear.

Jensen and Clay walk out of the bushes, Jensen moving up to pull the comm. off the team leader's ear.

"I'll just be taking this," he smiles. Holding it up to his mouth, he does his best to mimic their captive's voice. "Delta, this is Beta. We have located one of the targets. Repeat, we have located one of the targets. Target appears to be injured." He pulls the comm. away. "Pooch, sound like you're injured."

Pooch, holding the other soldier at gunpoint, looks at Jensen, annoyed. "I am holding a hostage, here, man, what's wrong with you?"

"Just yell a little, I'll hold the comm. out," Jensen says, holding it up. To his surprise, Aisha is the one who cries out, and very convincingly. He pulls it back, mouthing a _wow_ at her and giving her a thumbs up as he speaks. "Target may be hostile, be advised that we are moving in."

Clay claps his hands together. "All right, fellas, we can have a nice, calm conversation and you can tell us whatever we want to know, or we can put on a nice little radio show for your friends out there. What do ya say?"

"Go to hell," the team leader sneers.

Clay smiles. "I admire your loyalty. Too bad it's for a guy I wouldn't even bother spitting on if I saw his dead corpse in the street, nice as that sight would be. Aisha," he says, not breaking eye contact with the soldier, "make it sound hostile."

"Absofuckinglutely," she smiles.

Jensen holds the comm. out in front of him and takes a step back, cringing as the man starts to scream.

* * *

**A/N:** *note - Jackie Wilson is the singer for "Higher and Higher"


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Oh my god, my brain is soooo fried! Had some busy, busy work days and it's late and I'm tired, but since I didn't get this out to you guys yesterday, I was a-feared (yes, a-feared) of what you would do to me if I didn't get it out by tonight. Some of you kids are scary, scary people! Violent little ones! ...Of course, you _are_ fans of The Losers, so I shouldn't really be surprised...Anyway, I hope this one is exciting enough for you guys that it makes up for, ya know, my _real_ life responsibilities getting in the way of my story updates. ;)

* * *

The moaning, bloody form of the Beta team leader is centered within the scope of a gun's sights. Slowly, the view pans through the foliage and falls on a team of five soldiers stealthily making their ways towards him. As they approach, the leader of this unit ducks down, signaling the others to fan out. Keeping low, they move through the trees, scanning the surrounding area as they go.

Cougar smiles from behind the scope, virtually invisible from his position in the trees. Exhaling just a whisper of a breath, he takes a shot. His next one comes within a second of the first. He doesn't get a chance to take a third.

The leaves directly in front of his face suddenly explode into nothing. He narrowly avoids a direct hit from a second shot as he swings his body around to the other side of the tree.

"Shit," he mutters as bark explodes around him.

"Talk to me, Cougar," Clay says over the comm.

"Cover's blown," Cougar responds, twisting his body to avoid another shot.

"We're on our way."

* * *

Clay rushes through the trees, speaking on his comm. as he runs. "Plans have changed, guys, he's a sitting duck. Get to him fast, take out any threats along the way. And watch your backs. It won't do him any good if we all die before we get there."

Jensen's voice comes through on the other end. "Nice pep talk, there, Captain Obvious."

Clay ignores him as he slams his back against the nearest tree. Peering around it, he sees two soldiers stepping through the bushes several feet in front of him. Pulling out a second gun, he quickly steps out and takes both of them down, their faces frozen in a look of shock as they hit the ground.

* * *

Pooch stands up, inspecting his knot work. His hostage is now bound tightly to a tree, arms twisted awkwardly behind the trunk.

"And Jensen thought _he_ was uncomfortable," he muses, putting a gag in the soldier's mouth. The man tries to shout through it.

"Awe, don't worry, dude, I'll be back for ya," he says, smiling, then turns to go aid in the rescue.

* * *

Aisha crawls slowly from one bush to another, sitting up with her guns tucked against her body as three men pass by behind her. One of them stops, looking over in her direction.

"This is one game of hide-and-seek you do _not_ want to win," she says under her breath.

The man raises his gun and begins moving towards her. As he approaches, she slides one of her guns into its holster and pulls out her knife. When he gets above her, she springs up, jamming it into his neck. As the other men aim their guns at her, she shoves the bleeding soldier into one and opens fire on the other. She takes him down and spins around in time to catch the first one recuperating from the sudden weight of the now-dead knife victim.

"I warned you," she says coolly before firing a round into his head.

* * *

"Hang on, Cougar, I'm almost there," Jensen huffs as he sprints through the trees.

He skids to a stop, diving down behind a fallen tree just short of the four men firing up at the sniper.

"Hey, Cougar," he whispers, "you want me to distract them, or just shoot them?"

"Shoot!" Cougar responds through the gunfire.

"Okay, okay, I was just asking, sheesh." Jensen raises his gun up over the tree, accidentally scratching his wrist on a jagged piece of bark.

"Ow," he says, annoyed, then a second later he repeats the "ow" more seriously, with a puzzled look on his face. "Ow, shit!" he hisses, ducking back down as he inspects the bleeding, but not very deep cut on his wrist.

"Jensen!" Cougar's voice blasts in his ear.

Arms shaking, Jensen speaks through gritted teeth. "I'm having a bit of a problem, here, Cou – GOD_DAMM_IT!"

The soldiers spin around instantly, pointing their guns at the tree Jensen is hiding behind. Cougar takes that second to go on the offensive, taking a quick shot at one of them and jumping down to a further branch before they return fire. Two of the soldiers continue the gunfight with him, the third rushing up on Jensen. He dives over the fallen tree and rolls up into a squatting position, pointing his gun at the hacker. Jensen, now flat on his back, cursing as he holds his arm tightly, doesn't even seem to notice that the man is there.

"Package acquired," the soldier says. "I got him, so let's get the fuck out-"

A shot goes off and the man falls forward, leaving Clay standing with his gun still raised behind him. He jumps over the body to Jensen's side.

"Oh god, it _burns!" _Jensen moans.

"Where are you hit?" Clay asks, searching for a bullet wound.

Jensen shakes his head. "Not," he spits out. "Another fucking fit." He gasps in pain before waving Clay off. "Help Cougar."

Clay hesitates for a second, then pats Jensen on the shoulder. "Hang in there. We'll be back for you."

He hops over the tree, taking down one of the remaining men, thus giving Cougar the chance to take down the other. Before they even get to speak, they can hear more gunfire a short distance away. Cougar jumps down from the branches, blood trickling from several cuts caused by the constant showering of bark chips. He gives Clay a questioning look.

"I'll go," Clay says. "Stay with him."

Cougar nods, watching Clay dart off to help finish the fight.

Then he hears Jensen scream.

* * *

Everything goes silent. Clay stops, turning back to look in the direction the scream came from, then looking back towards the way he was headed.

"Was that Jensen?" Pooch asks through the comm.

"Yeah...What's your situation?" Clay asks.

The gunfire starts up again.

This time it's Aisha that cuts in. "We can handle it, Clay."

Several more gunshots are fired. "Are you sure?" Clay asks, looking back and forth from the sounds of the shooting to the sounds of Jensen's cries.

Pooch's voice comes through again. "Dammit, Clay, if the woman said we can handle it, we can _handle_ it. Go help someone that needs it."

"Those better not be famous last words," Clay orders, turning to head back the way he had come.

* * *

Jensen rolls onto his side, breathing heavily into the leaves as he fights against the pain. Cougar gently pushes on his shoulder, rolling him onto his back again. "Bite this," he says, pressing a stick with a piece of cloth wrapped around it into Jensen's mouth. Squeezing his eyes shut, Jensen clamps his jaw around the stick, allowing himself to scream into it. A moment later, Clay is suddenly at his side.

"What can I do?" he asks.

Cougar shakes his head. "Nothing. Except to hope whatever this is passes…or _he_ passes out."

Clay frowns. "Is he injured?"

"Just a scratch, as far as I can tell, but he won't let me touch it."

"Then that's where the problem is," Clay says, reaching out to take Jensen's arm. He pauses, raising his eyes up at Cougar. "Hold him down."

* * *

Pooch peeks around the tree he's hiding behind, then looks over at Aisha who is parallel to him, hiding behind her own tree.

"There _is_ one more, right?" he asks. "'Cause I took out two, you got one-"

"_I _took out two," she corrects him.

"I clearly shot that man before you did. Your view is obstructed."

"You shot him, but I killed him. That counts as mine," she states.

"He would have died just fine without your help," Pooch argues, raising his voice a little. He leans a little too far out and is barely missed by a bullet whizzing past. He throws himself back behind the tree.

"Guess there _is_ one more," Aisha smiles.

"Just kill the damn bastard. Then we can call it even."

"No, then I'll be way ahead."

Pooch gives her a _what-the-fuck?_ look, shakes his head in frustration, then says, "Okay, fine, _I'll_ kill him. Then I can be 'way ahead' of you."

They look at each other for just a second before both spin out from behind their trees, ducking and rolling through the foliage around them for cover as the last of the enemy fires at them. At the exact same time, they spring up on either side of him, shooting him simultaneously. They make eye contact for a moment before Pooch speaks.

"That was a draw."

"Yep, definitely a draw."

They share an awkward silence while putting away their guns.

"…So, that means I won, right?" Pooch inquires.

"Pooch-" Aisha starts, annoyed, when Jensen's yell cuts through the trees.

"FUCKING SON-OF-A-_BITCH!" _he screams.

Aisha and Pooch take off running.

* * *

Jensen struggles against Cougar's weight on his shoulders, desperately trying to pull his arm back from Clay's grip.

"Easy, Jensen, I just need to look," Clay soothes, but it has no effect on the frantic hacker. He continues to try to break free, looking more panicked by the second. Clay flips over his arm, inspecting the cut on his wrist.

"Come on, buddy, you've had way worse than this," he says, really more to himself than to Jensen. He pulls a flask out of one of his pants pockets, flipping open the lid with his thumb as he keeps a firm grip on Jensen's arm with his other hand. As he brings the flask up over the wound, Jensen's whole body suddenly goes very still. He glares at Clay.

"I swear to _fucking_ God, you cocky prick," he says, his voice low and steady, "if one drop of that hits my skin, I will tear your _fucking_ eyes out and force them down your throat until you choke to death."

"Sounds like a horrible way to die," Clay states, then pours the alcohol onto Jensen's wound. To his surprise, Jensen doesn't struggle at all. He just lays back, his face twisting in shock and pain. He sucks in a couple short, shallow breaths, then releases a scream so loud that it echoes clearly through the forest. At the end of it, his eyes stare blankly at the forest ceiling for a few seconds before they flutter closed.

Clay and Cougar breathe the tension out of their bodies, glancing up at Pooch and Aisha as they approach.

"Is he...?" Pooch asks tentatively.

Clay shakes his head. "He's alive, but he's getting worse. We've gotta find out what's causing this."

Pooch smiles. "You've got questions, and I just happen to have a guy tied to a tree that might have some answers."

"You think he's ready to talk?"

Aisha answers for Pooch. "Between the things he saw me do to his superior, the body count out here, and Jensen's screaming, I think anyone would talk."

"All right, then," Clay says, standing. He leans down and grabs Jensen, slinging him over his shoulder. "Let's go play us a game of twenty question."

* * *

**A/N: **Wow, there's more words in this chapter than any of the others, but it certainly reads a lot faster, lol. :)

Oh, wanted to mention something before I forget. A couple people mentioned in the last chapter that Jensen's ability to climb the tree so quickly must have spawned from the "infection," as well. That wasn't really planned that way. I intended this fic to fall somewhere between the comic and movie world, so I just pulled some of his athletic ability from what we saw him do in the movie. He had no problems keeping pace with Cougar jumping across the roof tops and scaling the electrical pole thingie. His only snag was the barbed-wire fence. So, yeah, I just envisioned that when I wrote that particular tree "scene." Jensen is a nerdy hacker geek, yes, but also a Chris Evans-fit nerdy hacker geek, lol.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **You guys _do_ read my notes! I was so happy to see that my last one actually spawned some good Jensen discussion, lol. Speaking of, please feel free to write whatever you want in the reviews - questions, concerns, just general thoughts. As you've seen, if I believe it's a genuine concern or just an interesting topic, I'll address it here in a note. I likes any kind of feedback and I'm happy to get the chance to write about where my mindset was when I'm working on a chapter. Just don't expect me to give away any spoilers. ;)

And **Kikino**, that was the most horrifying threat I've ever gotten! Furbies are pure EVIL! Now I have to go hang out in my secret bunker until your lil creepy army passes.

* * *

With Pooch's and Cougar's help, Clay gently eases Jensen down off his shoulder, laying him flat on a bed of dry leaves. He stands and walks over to the man tied to the tree and glares down at him.

"You know what that is?" he asks, pointing back to Jensen. The bound soldier, still gagged, just looks at him. "That is a man down. One of _my _men. And the funny thing about it is, it wasn't even your guys that took him down." He reaches into his vest pocket and pulls out a handful of dog tags, some of them covered in crimson stains. "Do you know what these are?" He throws them at the soldier's chest, who cringes back when they hit him and then stares down at them as they fall into his lap. "That's _all_ of your men down, and unless you want us to add your tags into that pile, I'd suggest you and I have a little talk."

* * *

Jensen wakes with a start, glancing around at his surroundings frantically. It's dark with the exception of a small fire burning in front of him, and he appears to be alone. He pulls off is glasses to rub at his eyes, noticing the white bandage taped around his wrist. Cringing in anticipation, he very gently touches it, then relaxes when nothing happens.

A hand suddenly reaches out and touches his shoulder, causing him to jump up to his feet.

"Easy," Cougar says.

Jensen puts a hand to his chest. "Jesus, Cougar, ninja much? You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry," Cougar shrugs, smiling. "How's the wrist?"

Jensen sighs, sitting back down. "Normal. You know this isn't even big enough to leave a scar? It's pathetic….But, _man_, I've never felt anything like that. It was like every single one of my nerve endings was on fire. And, Jesus _Christ, _who knew I had that kind of lung capacity? That was like banshee screaming back there. Just disturbing. Speaking of disturbing, how the _hell_ do I do that thing with my voice where I go all _The Punisher_ on you guys? Thomas Jane _Punisher_, not Lundgren or Stevenson. They were cool, but they just didn't have that _voice,_ ya know? The deep, scary one? I think I sound like that when I go all Crazy Jensen mode, don't you? It's gotta be pretty bad ass."

"Not when we're the ones on the other side of the threat," Cougar points out.

"Yeeahhhh, sorry about that. Where is everyone, anyway? You guys aren't all avoiding me now, are you?"

"No. They went back to find your computer."

"Awe, they're rescuing Sasha? And here I thought I was the only one who cared."

"You are," Cougar says bluntly. "We need to know what's on the files you stole from the lab."

"Do they have to do with me?" Jensen asks, and Cougar nods. "Shiiit," he whispers, dropping his gaze into the fire. "I knew it. As soon as that guy called me 'the package,' I knew I was fucked." He looks back to Cougar. "Max's new weapon – it wasn't a bomb, was it?"

Cougar shakes his head. Jensen nods, staring back into the flames. "Okay. Bioweapon, then. So the question is, how the hell did I get exposed to it?"

Cougar arches an eyebrow at him. "You tell me," he says.

* * *

_Three days ago:_

The sun is coming up over the top of the lab building as the team lays perched in the trees several feet away. Clay brings down his binoculars, looking over at Jensen.

"You sure morning is the best time to hit this thing?" he asks.

Jensen rolls his eyes. "Clay. You've asked me that like a thousand times, now. And what do I tell you every time? I say 'Yes, Clay, I'm positive.' Positive. As in the exact opposite of negative. As in, yes, I'm sure the morning is the best time to hit this thing so we don't all end up in body bags. I checked. I double-checked. In fact, I probably checked about a million and thirty-seven times. Are you satisfied? Because I can bust out my red sharpie and draw you a picture right now if you want."

Clay sighs. "A simple 'yes' would've been fine."

"I was making a point. A 'trust Jensen' point."

"Point taken." Clay looks at each member of the team. "We ready?" They all nod. "Then let's roll."

* * *

After Jensen takes care of a few perimeter cameras, they make their way into the compound quickly and quietly. They split off in different directions, Jensen running towards what looks to be a small, white brick building, except it has no windows or doors; it's only entrance appears to be a large metal "lid" on top, clamped down with several heavy-duty combo locks. Pulling a digital EMF reader out of his bag, Jensen runs along one side of the building, watching the numbers intently.

"You think you're so smart," he mumbles to no one in particular. "'Oh, look, we didn't build a door! The bad guys can't get to our generator, now!' Well guess what, bitches? I don't need a door."

He finds the spot he's looking for and marks it with a red "X", starts to back off, looks at it, then shakes his head. "That's too small," he says, moving forward again to draw the mark a little bigger. As he reaches the sharpie back towards the "X", the brick suddenly explodes in a neat little cloud of dust. He pulls his hand back quickly, glaring off in the direction the shot came from.

"Hey! The hacker kinda needs his hand, ya know?"

Cougar smiles from behind the scope of his gun. "Wasn't even close."

"Wasn't even-? You took the tip off my sharpie!" He holds it up so Cougar can see before Clay's voice cuts through on the comm.

"Is it down?" he asks.

"Yeah, it's down," Jensen mumbles, inspecting the hole in the wall. "I'm on my way."

* * *

The last number on the electric lock clicks into place.

"Okay," Jensen says, quickly putting his gear back into his bag, "It'll take me about three minutes to shut off the main power source, counting the time it takes me to get there. They're gonna be on us as soon as they realize the generator isn't kicking in."

"How long will that be?" Pooch asks.

Jensen shrugs. "About point five seconds."

"All right, then," Pooch says, gripping the wheel on the heavy metal door. Clay gives him the nod to open it, and they step in, guns at the ready.

* * *

Crammed in a small, dark space, pen light sticking out of his mouth, Jensen's fingers race across the numbers on the console. He waits for a beep, then rolls himself over to do the same on a different platform. It beeps twice, after which he pulls out a small touchscreeen computer, connecting wires from it to both consoles. On the computer's screen there are several numbers and he presses them all, then listens for the sound of the building's power shutting down. Satisfied, he lightly kicks at the panel at his feet.

From the outside hall, now dark with the exception of her flashlight, Aisha slides the small, square metal panel aside. Jensen slides out of the space, and she moves in to trade places with him.

"Gotta love a building that functions all on computer software," he smiles.

"Just tell me what to do" Aisha says impatiently.

"Press the magic number on my signal," he says, and she nods before slipping into the hole. He shuts the panel behind her and races off down the darkened hall.

* * *

Pressing himself against the wall, Jensen smiles as he watches two guards run right past him down an adjoining corridor. "Ha ha! They're all headed to the main control room, just like I said," he gloats, shifting the night vision goggles on his face.

Clay's voice cuts in. "Great. And when they find out no one's there, they're gonna be sending people out looking for Aisha. Move your ass, Jensen."

"I'm not exactly taking a leisurely stroll, here, Colonel," he says, rounding the corner. "And relax, there's like fifty-two of those crawl spaces spread out around the building. With you guys thinning out the herd and all, we'll be in and out before anyone finds her. Scout's honor."

Pooch speaks up. "Dude, you told me you went to computer camp. You weren't a boy scout."

Jensen starts to round another corner, then quickly throws himself back. "A Programmer Porcupine's word is just as good as any boy scout's," he counters; then, "I need some back up down here. There may be a few more guys guarding the door than I had originally anticipated."

"How many is 'a few?'" Clay asks.

"Oh, about ten," Jensen says casually.

"Hey, guys," Cougar cuts in. "You got another problem. A convoy of fresh new troops just pulled up."

"Well that wasn't in the plan," Jensen says. "Guess I'm on my own, then."

"Don't do anything stupid," Clay warns.

"Stupid? That word isn't even in my vocabulary." Jensen grins. He pulls off his goggles and trades them for sunglasses, then takes some canisters out of his bag. Crouching down, he flips open a lighter, the firelight instantly giving away his position. As the guards make their way down the hall, Jensen throws the canisters, fuses now lit, towards them.

"Happy Fourth of July!" he shouts as the canisters explode, sending a bright white flash all the way down the hall. The soldiers stop, yelling out as they cover their eyes. "Aisha, hit the three, now!" Jensen orders as he quickly slips through the blinded men. He reaches the lock on the door just as its power turns back on, and quickly punches in the code. When the door slides open just enough for Jensen to squeeze through it, he punches in the code on the lock on the other side.

"Come on, come on, come on," he urges as he sees the recuperating soldiers rushing towards him. At the last second before they reach him, the door locks into place. "Hit it again, Aisha!" he says frantically, then relaxes as the lights on the lock shut off again. "That was close...Okay, give me numbers sixteen and lucky number thirteen."

A single light turns on in the center of the ceiling, shining down on the only thing in the room – a desktop computer with a cabinet-sized hard drive tower sitting beside it.

Jensen takes off his sunglasses, whistling as he looks at it. "Hello beautiful," he says, "Hope you're not shy, because we are about to get _very_ intimate..."

* * *

**A/N: **Hoorah! The first half of the flashback sequence! I finally decided to be nice and give you guys some answers. :)


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: ***phew* You guys liked the last chapter! I was a little concerned 'cause I really don't know anything at all about hacking into computers (or secure bases, for that matter...). I'm just, like, making up technical shit as I go along, lol.

As usual, thanks for all the awesome reviews, threats, and the occasional nice "please." I hit a record last night in hits - 807! That's the most I've gotten in one day, by far, since I joined up with fanfic! You guys ROCK! I'll continue to do my best to give you quick updates. See, I'm actually publishing this chapter right now from my hotel room at an anime convention! I love you that much!

* * *

Jensen pulls out his laptop, flipping it open and placing it on the desktop. He connects a few wires from it to the tower, puts a headset onto the ear that doesn't have the comm., then frowns when he can't find the port to plug it into.

"Come on baby, Daddy just wants to communicate with you," he mutters, flipping down a small plastic lid on the side of the machine revealing a single hole underneath. "Ah, there you are," he smiles, "You are a unique little critter, aren't you?"

Everything set, he sucks in a breath and holds it as he flips the power switch on the monitor, first, then the tower. The second the tower begins to hum, a spark flashes through Jensen's ear bud. He jumps back, throwing the headset off.

"Ah, ffffuck me!" he spits out, touching his ear. He pulls back his hand to see a little bit of blood on his fingertips. "Shit."

"What happened, slick?" Aisha asks. "Your new girlfriend doesn't want to play nice?"

He sits back down, wincing as he touches his ear again. "I stuck my thing in the wrong hole," he says, then looks up in alarm. "Wait, that's not what – That didn't come out the way -" He shakes his head. "It's far too late to backpedal from that one, isn't it?"

"Oh, you know it," she says, humor in her voice, and he shakes his head.

"You got me good, Sparky," he utters to the computer as he sets back to work. "Now alllll the other kids in school are gonna be making jokes behind my back. And not the "kick me" sign sort of jokes. Oh-ho no, my friend, they'll be making the kinds of jokes that will leave me girlfriendless for the next twenty years. That's all thanks to you. I hope you're proud of yourself."

The computer beeps.

"Sure, sure, gloat about it now," he continues, "but in about…..two minutes, you won't have much to say for yourself."

He types a few more things into desktop keyboard, then shifts over to his laptop.

"Okay, Sasha, let's show Sparky, here, what a civilized girl can do."

Jensen watches as numbers, letters, and symbols go flying across both screens. His eyes flick back and forth between the two computers, swiveling in his chair as he trades out which keyboard he needs to type on. He takes a quick glance at his watch and frowns.

"You guys are all still alive out there, right?" he asks.

Clay is the one to answer. "We won't be if you take too much longer."

"I'm going as fast as I can. Sparky didn't exactly take to the voice command option, so I have to do things the old-fashioned way. I don't have time to decrypt the files, so I'm transferring them to Sasha, now, and we can look at 'em later. I'll have everything I need in roughly thirty seconds."

A loud _clang _resounds from the other side of the door. Jensen flinches, looking back at it for a second before turning back to the computers. The symbols abruptly stop moving and the desktop screen goes blank. "Sorry, Sparky," he says, patting it, "You fall in with the wrong crowd, and you're gonna get burned." He places a small magnetic device on the side of the tower and takes a few steps back. Pressing the button on the remote trigger he's holding, he watches as bolts of electricity spring from the magnet and dance around the computer. After a few seconds, they fizzle out, leaving the tower smoking.

Another _clang _echoes through the room. "Uh, Colonel?" Jensen asks.

"We're coming, Jensen."

"Yeah, about that. Just thought you should know that the guys on the other side of this door, here, are _pretty_ pissed off. And probably still half blind."

There's a pause before Clay speaks again. "A bunch of angry soldiers aiming wild, huh? Sounds like fun."

Jensen watches as the banging continues on the outside of the door. As it begins to bend, he holds his gun out in front of him, ready to fire. With one final hit, the edge bends in just enough to leave a gap a few inches thick between the door and the frame. Jensen fires directly into it, hitting one man square in the forehead. He spins off to the side, throwing himself against the wall as shots are fired into the room. He sees the tip of a large wench being jammed into the gap, prying it open even further. Sweating, all he can do is aim his gun and wait.

"Clay?" he calls urgently.

"Almost there, hang tight," comes the response.

With a metal-scratching squeal, the door bends open a little further.

"Clay, they're coming in, Clay, and I have nowhere to hide. They are _going_ to shoot me."

"I told you, we're close."

The gap widens again, almost big enough for a man to fit through.

"Clay?" Jensen calls again, his body tensing.

With one last push, the wench suddenly drops to the ground. Jensen licks his lips, stepping out from the wall just a little bit. Just as a man is about to enter, gunfire rings out from the hallway. Instead of stepping in, the man disappears back out into the hall to meet the oncoming attack. Jensen lets out the breath he was holding, leaning back against the wall for a second to regain his composure before rushing back over to the desk. He grabs his laptop, shoving it back into his bag, then turns around in time to see one of the soldiers coming through the door, pointing his gun at him. The man goes down before Jensen can even react, Pooch now standing in the doorway. The noise in the hallway falls silent behind him.

"You got it?" Pooch asks.

"Oh, I'm fine, thank you," Jensen frowns. "Did I get it? Practically became a human bullet sponge and all he can ask is if I got it." He steps through the door. "Nice timing, by the way, guys. I appreciate the near loss of my bladder control, really. I mean, could you _be_ any more last minute?"

"Better late than never," Pooch grins.

Clay looks around a corner, waving them forward. "There'll be more coming. Let's grab Aisha and get the hell outta here."

"Don't have to tell _me_ twice," Jensen says, and they spring down the hall.

* * *

They meet Cougar at the perimeter of the fence, running hard. They race into the trees, Clay giving out orders as several men chase after them not too far behind.

"Split up, lose 'em in the woods. No one gets followed to the rendezvous, understand? Get there as soon as you're clear."

Without a word, they simultaneously split off in different directions, scattering the force coming after them.

* * *

Jensen is the first to reach the raft, leaping into it without slowing down. Quickly, he pops the latches on the large black box, lifting up the case of ammo and sliding his computer underneath it. He throws one of his guns into it and reloads the other, then takes a few seconds to attach a large rubber band to his glasses. Pooch runs up just as Jensen fits them snugly back onto his face.

"What the hell is that?" he laughs, throwing a couple guns at Jensen so he can put them in the box, Jensen tossing him a new cartridge for his remaining gun, in return.

"In case I fall out," he says, "These glasses don't float, Pooch. Duh."

Cougar and Aisha get to the raft at nearly the same time, also exchanging weapons. From a short distance, Clay hollers at them.

"Get that raft into the water!"

They begin pushing it out into the current as Clay comes out of the trees, leaping into it as it gets swept out into the river.

"Anyone get followed?" he asks as he puts most of his own weapons into the box, locking it down when he's done.

They shake their heads.

"Actually, it was incredibly easy to lose them," Jensen speculates.

"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about," Clay frowns.

A few minutes later, the sound of a motor can be heard in the distance. A small boat, moving fast and full of armed men, is quickly catching up to them.

"Dammit, where were they hiding _that_ thing?" Pooch asks.

Clay looks back "Can we outrun it?"

"Nope, but we can outmaneuver it," Pooch grins, pointing to where the rive splits up ahead. They guide the raft down the right fork where instantly the rapids increase. Sharp rocks seem to spring up at them from every direction, but they expertly avoid every one. Jensen turns back and looks down the river.

"Well, that did it," he smiles. "They didn't even _try_ to follow us."

No sooner do the words come out his mouth than gunshots fire at them from the shoreline. They duck down as far as they can into the raft without losing their ability to steer.

"Where are all these guys _coming_ from?" Jensen asks, firing back at their assailants.

"Jensen, you help Pooch," Clay orders. Nodding, Jensen trades spots with Cougar, taking the paddle as Cougar takes aim into the woods. As Aisha, Clay, and Cougar exchange shots with the men on shore, Pooch and Jensen do their best to keep the raft from slamming into the increasing numbers of rocks. Jensen looks ahead down the river.

"Uh, Pooch?" he starts. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Yup," Pooch answers, keeping his head low.

"Are we…?" Jensen continues, pointing at himself then at what's in front of them.

"Yup," Pooch smiles.

Jensen nods. "Okay, just making certain that was the plan, here…..Are you sure this is a _good_ plan?"

A bullet ricochets off the side of the raft, nearly missing both of them. They look at each other.

"Yup," Jensen answers for him, and they aim the raft straight for the waterfall.

* * *

Jensen stares into the fire.

"That's it," he shrugs, glancing at Cougar. "There were no guys in bio-hazard suits, no long, creepy syringes, no ominous cloud suddenly being blasted into my face-" His eyes widen for a second. "Wait, wait, there _was_ a cloud," he says. Cougar raises an eyebrow at him. "The dust cloud from the brick." He stands up, pacing. "The generator hut. Think about it – the thing was totally locked down, there weren't that many guards hanging around, and I was the only one of us who went anywhere near it." He stops pacing. "Cougar. I think we just released Max's mutant virus on this whole region."

* * *

**A/N: **Meh, was going to do a little more "back in the present" stuff, but it seemed like a good place to stop. :) Ha ha, in doing the edits, I was laughing at my own lines. That's a good thing, right?


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **"Uh oh...0" lol, as much as I adore getting the lengthy, funny, threatening reviews, sometimes just those simple-to-the-extreme ones make me giggle just as much. Thank you, **LaylaBinx**!

On an entirely different note, I am evil. Pure evil. **gottalovealoser** has told me that many times, and is absolutely correct. Like, I got your reviews and literally evil laughed at some of them. It's an inside joke. You'll figure it out soon enough...maybe not in this chapter - depends on how attentive you are (that's a hint). ;)

* * *

Cougar follows Jensen with his eyes as he continues to pace back and forth, his words coming out faster and faster.

"Oh god,oh god,oh god, we're in trouble, Cougar. Like deep, _deep_ trouble. I wonder what the radius is? It could be five feet, in which case I'd be the only one to get infected, which would be a good thing – well, not good for _me_ of course but for the rest of humanity that'd be the most favorable scenario; or it could be like five miles. What if it's five miles? What if it's five _hundred_ miles? What if this was Max's plan all along? Get us losers to release a freaky, freakish, freak virus into the world. Then he really _could_ pin it on us, and he'd actually be _right! _Oh, man, Max? Right? That's just, that's just _disgusting!_ I can't even fathom the thought! But then I guess that's not really the important thing, is it? We just infected half the world with whatever the hell is it I have – oh my god, _you_ guys are infected with whatever the hell it is I have! You guys can't hulk out! Can you imagine what'll happen if Aisha goes all Firestarter on us? Well, I guess technically it wouldn't be Firestarter 'cause, unless I'm not aware of something, this virus doesn't really give you super powers. Wait, yes it does! It gave me super hearing! I mean, not all the time 'cause obviously I don't have it now, but still, if Aisha only sometimes has pyrokinesis, that's sometimes too many! She'll go after me, first, I know she will! It'll be _horrible!"_

"Jensen," Cougar cuts in.

Jensen goes on as if he didn't hear him, talking even faster. "And Clay? I can see him just going all The Shining on us, Jack Nicholson styles. And I'd probably _still_ be the first to go. God, why am I so damn _annoying_ all the time? _All_ of you would go after me first! But, then, if you guys go after me, I'll feel threatened and then my Punisher mode will kick in and it'll just be an awful blood bath where we all end up dead, and so will the rest of world 'cause that's how the virus will work – everyone just kills everyone else in like the most horrible fashion imaginable - and then what if the virus goes a step further like the one from the Umbrella Corporation. Oh, god, Cougar! We just jump-started the zombiepocalypse! It'll be…it'll be…"

He sucks in a few short breaths, putting a hand to his chest. As he drops down to his knees, Cougar jumps up, rushing over to him.

"I can't breathe," Jensen wheezes.

"Relax," Cougar tells him.

"I can't!" Jensen barely squeaks out, looking up at Cougar with panic-stricken eyes. He tries desperately to inhale again, the air catching in his throat. With one last pained look, he slumps forward into Cougar's arms. Cougar lays him out again, checking that his breathing has returned to normal, and sits back with a sigh.

* * *

Clay steps into the firelight, dropping the computer bag down beside it. He looks at Jensen, still asleep, then up at Cougar.

"Thought he'd be awake by now," he says.

"He was," Cougar frowns.

"And?"

Cougar just shakes his head.

Aisha steps around to sit on the other side of the fire. "We weren't gone that long. If he already had another fit, he's getting worse."

Pooch pushes the bound (and bruised) prisoner forward into the small clearing, nudging him in the back of the knees to force him down. "Take a break," he orders, then sits down beside Cougar. "So, what type of fit was it this time?"

"Panic attack," Cougar answers.

"Panic attack? What the hell was he panicking over?"

Cougar shrugs. "The zombiepocalypse."

Pooch whistles, shaking his head. "We're losin' our boy, Clay."

Clay frowns. "No, we're not. We'll let him sleep it off 'til morning, and then our new friend here," he nods towards the prisoner, "is going to tell him what he told us."

* * *

"…sen…Jensen….," he hears a voice calling out to him.

"No, mommy, I don't wanna go to school today," Jensen mutters, trying to wave off the voice.

"Jensen, get your ass up," Pooch orders, kicking him in the leg.

"Ow!" he says, snapping out of the sleep. He rubs his leg. "Not cool, dude."

Pooch lifts an eyebrow at him. "Zombiepocalypse?"

Jensen looks away, rolling his eyes. "Sure, go ahead, make fun of the guy with the mutant virus. You won't be laughing when you catch it."

Shaking his head, Pooch says, "Sorry, man, that special privilege is only for you."

"What do you mean?"

"We're gonna let Barney explain it to you."

"Barney?" Jensen asks, and Pooch looks over towards the purple face of their prisoner. "Ah," Jensen nods, smiling, "I see the resemblance." He walks over to the soldier, then stands bending over him. "Hey, there, Barney." The soldier glares at him. "Ooh, _nasty_ look. You're kinda spunky, aren't ya? I like that. I'm spunky, too, but more in a comic-relief sorta way….well, normally I am, but ya see, I've got this little problem that's making me all wacky - and not in the funny kind of way - and I'm told you're just the guy that can help me out with this little problem."

He reaches down and pulls the gag out of the soldiers mouth. The man looks at Jensen for a second, then flicks his eyes up to see that Clay, Aisha, Cougar, and Pooch are all staring at him, threatening looks in their eyes.

"I don't know that much about the virus," he finally says.

"That's okay, Spunky Barney, I'm gonna crack those files, anyway," Jensen smiles, patting the soldier's head, "But I still like the previews before the show."

The man blows out a breath, annoyed. "First of all, you're not contagious. We would have been sent in with hazard gear if you were."

"Are ya sure?" Jensen asks. "In case you hadn't noticed, Max isn't exactly winning any 'best parent' awards, if you catch my drift."

The man stares at him for a second before speaking. "We were told to use whatever force necessary to bring you in – alive – and to do whatever we wanted with the rest of your team. The only one Max showed any interest in was you."

Jensen frowns, nodding as he brings a hand up to his chin. "I see. So what you're saying is, since I'm the only one Max needs, I'm his only guinea pig; and _since_ I'm his only guinea pig, that means I'm not contagious. The logic makes sense." He turns back to his team behind him, smiling. "I'm not contagious!"

"Yeah. Hooray for us," Clay says, a touch of sarcasm in his voice and a half smile on his lip. He looks down at the soldier. "Why don't you tell him the rest?"

Jensen turns back as the man speaks. "We were advised to keep our taser usage at a low, that it could cause extremely erratic behavior in the package, that being you."

Jensen laughs. "Tasers could cause erratic behavior?" He looks back over his shoulder, still laughing. "Tasers could cause erratic behavior. This guy is funny." He looks back, then leans forward to whisper at the man. "I'm going to tell you a little secret…You ready?..._Everything_ causes me to have erratic behavior. Or was the virus not supposed to do that?"

The man smiles. "You stole a prototype. Prototypes have glitches."

"Hey, I didn't _steal_ anything but computer files," Jensen points out.

"Exactly," the man says, now grinning from ear to ear.

* * *

**A/N:** A little shorter than the norm - sorry! I'm still at the con so I don't have tons of time, here...and, okay, so I didn't wanna fully reveal my lil inside joke just yet. Guilty as charged. You'll get it next chapter for sure, then you'll be mad at me (but hopefully still laugh at what I did if you don't figure out before then...) lol


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: ***sigh* I've been gone much, much too long! Sorry, folks, didn't mean to leave ya'll hanging like that. To make up for it, I'm posting two chapters right now. :)

If you've forgotten what's going on, you probably want to go back and reread some stuffs...

* * *

Jensen blinks his eyes a couple times before speaking. "What?"

"You stole the virus along with the files," the soldier says.

"Noooo. All I did was transfer data from the lab computer to the laptop, so unless the virus was in_ - _ohhhh," he says as realization sets in. He looks to Cougar. "It wasn't in the brick. It was _inside_ the computer."

"And that's all I know about it," the prisoner finishes, "so if you're done with me, I'd like to go now."

Pooch smiles. "Ha ha. Very funny." He takes the gag from Jensen and shoves it back in the guy's mouth.

Jensen, very much in his own head, jumps over to his computer. He talks to himself as he begins pulling up various programs. "Is it even possible? Of course it must be – I'm a living example…I wonder if I could…? No, it wouldn't work without a direct connection….But maybe if I…No, no, that'd be a mess. Why would I even think that?"

Clay squats down in front of him. "Wanna share with the class?"

Jensen stops typing and looks at him. "I have a virus."

"We already knew that."

"No, Clay. I have a virus. That I got from a computer." Clay lifts an eyebrow at him. "How are you guys not getting this? I literally have a computer virus in my brain."

Pooch steps forward. "Hold up. Are you saying you're infected with like that shit that we use Norton for?"

"Norton?" Jensen asks, scrunching up his face. "I would _never _use Norton. You can get around that in less than a heartbeat."

"Jensen. Focus on my words," Pooch says, leaning over him. "How did you, a _human_, get infected with a _computer_ virus?"

He goes back to typing as he explains. "I'd say it happened when I stuck my–" he glances up at Aisha, "uh, when I plugged my headset into what I _thought_ was the right port. Of course, it wasn't and in return for my screw-up, according to what I'm seeing here, it looks like I got an ear chock-full of nasty little-."

He suddenly stops speaking, his hands freezing above the keys and his mouth hanging open slightly on his last word. His eyes remain glued to the screen, but they are glassed over, not seeing anything.

"Jensen," Clay says, snapping his fingers in front the hacker's eyes. Nothing happens. "Jensen," he tries again, speaking louder and trying to shake the man out of his sudden catatonic state. He gets no response, and his back goes rigid as he hears the prisoner stifle a laugh behind him. With no warning, he spins around, swinging hard at the gagged man's jaw, instantly knocking him unconscious. "Asshole," he mutters under his breath.

"So….what do we do, now?" Pooch asks, also snapping his fingers in front of the hacker's eyes.

Clay wipes a hand down his face before answering. "Wait until he comes out of it. He's the only one that has any idea what's going on."

"What if he _doesn't_ come out of it?" Aisha asks.

"-nanites," Jensen suddenly continues, picking up his ramblings exactly where he had left off. "Man, they're really doing a number on my system… Dammit, this isn't working. I need to hook back up to the net." He finally looks up at the faces of his teammates, who are all staring at him. "What?"

Clay shakes his head. "You're not going up in any tree."

"Okay…" Jensen drags out with confusion, completely unaware of what had just transpired. "I guess I could just _not_ hack into the data files and hope with some chicken soup and a little TLC, the virus goes away on its own. Anyone volunteering for the TLC?" He waggles his eyebrows at Aisha with a cocky half grin.

"Fuck," Clay mumbles. "Cougar, take him up the damn tree and make sure his ass doesn't fall."

With a quick nod, Cougar stands and hauls Jensen to his feet. As they head out of the clearing, Jensen catches sight of the downed hostage. "When did _he_ decide to take a nap?"

"Forget it," Cougar mumbles, leading the way to a suitable tree.

* * *

"Uh huh, uh huh, oh, that's interesting," Jensen mutters from his perch in the branches. Cougar raises an inquisitive eyebrow and tries to peer over the blonde's shoulder. Smiling, Jensen turns his computer to face the sniper, revealing the scorecards for several soccer games. Cougar glares at him.

"What? I had money on some of these," he says innocently before tapping a few keys, switching the screen back to a jumble of green-lettered coding. He works diligently at the keyboard for another forty-five minutes before he draws his hands away, resting them behind his head. "Aaaaaaaaaaaand…..bingo," he grins as a little _ping,_ along with the 'Final Fantasy' victory music chimes from his laptop speakers. Information suddenly begins to fill the screen, his eyes scanning over the words almost as fast as they appear. "Holy shit," he breathes out, "I'm freakin' Robo Cop!"

* * *

Pooch shakes his head as Jensen stomps stiffly around in front of him, mimicking the sounds of robotic limbs moving on a suspension system. "Would you stop, you're not Robo Cop!" he finally spits out, getting annoyed.

"Half man, half machine," Jensen smiles, speaking with a deep voice.

"See, that's where you're wrong," Pooch argues. "Robo Cop actually _is _half machine. Having a bunch of tiny robots scrambling your brains doesn't make you a cyborg."

"Ah, but my whole system got rebooted to sync up with the robots, therefore making me more machine right now than human. I rest my case."

Aisha looks up. "Is that what happened in the river? You were 'rebooting?'"

"Yep. Shut down, rewired, and fired back up with super-human powers. It's actually pretty cool."

"It's not 'cool', Jensen," Clay snaps. "This is a virus. It wasn't made to create super-soldiers; it was made to hurt people. We need to figure out a way to get it out of you before it does any more damage."

"They," Jensen corrects. "Before _they_ do more damage. I figure I've probably got at least a few hundred of the little bastards swimming around up here." He taps a finger to his forehead for emphasis.

"What are _they_ supposed to do, anyway?" Pooch asks.

"According the files, they're _supposed _to attack the part of the brain controlling the nervous system. My fun little experience during the ambush?" he shudders, "That was just a taste of their program design. Unfortunately…or fortunately for me, I guess…" he shakes his head, "the prototypes weren't finished, yet. They got their orders but didn't get the map showing them where to execute."

"So what does that mean, exactly?" Clay asks.

Jensen heaves out an exaggerated sigh. "It _means_ there's a bunch of little robots running around lost in my brain getting their little pinchers – I wonder if they actually _have _pinchers..."

"Focus, Jensen."

"Right, anyway, basically they're just trying to hardwire random systems left and right until they get a cease and desist order…or until I'm dead."

Pooch whistles. "Can't you just reprogram them or something?"

"I _don't_ know," the hacker says with a shrug.

"You wanna try?" Clay says, twisting the question into an order.

Jensen shrugs again. "I dunno. Maybe. I guess."

"You guess? Do it, Jensen."

"Fiiine," he huffs out with another exaggerated sigh, plopping heavily onto the ground. He picks up a stick and pokes lightly at his computer with it.

"Is he moping?" Aisha asks.

"Pouting, more like it," Pooch frowns.

They watch as Jensen throws the stick and crosses his arms over his chest, glaring up at them. He kicks at a rock on the ground. Cougar watches the childish movements for a few seconds before shaking his head. "He's gone," he quietly states.

"Ya think?" Aisha snaps. "His fits are getting closer together, Clay-"

"You think I don't know that?" he snaps. She scowls at him, and he softens his own enraged features. "Sorry," he mumbles, hastily turning away from the group. He punches his fist into a tree, hard, before stepping further into the woods. Cougar silently gets up and follows. Jensen, for his part, sticks his tongue out at their backs.

"Think if we just shoot him in the leg, he'll snap out of it?" Aisha asks casually.

Jensen sticks his tongue out at her, too.

* * *

Clay is sitting on a fallen tree, arms resting on his legs in a slumped, defeated manner. He keeps his head bowed as Cougar slips down onto the tree beside him.

"I don't know how to deal with this," Clay admits. "If he was shot, I could patch him up. Kidnapped, I'd go through whoever it took to get him back. Hell, if he had a normal virus, I probably _would_ just get him his damn chicken soup. This… I don't even know where to start. The only one who can fix it is him, and he's down the rabbit hole half the damn time." Cougar merely sits and listens, staring straight ahead into nothing as Clay continues. "We've been through a helluvalotta bullshit together. I don't want to lose him now, not like this."

"We won't," Cougar confidently murmurs before leaving his leader with his thoughts.

After a few minutes, Clay sucks in a deep breath and sits up straighter. "No, we won't," he repeats, then stands to make his way back to his team.


	11. Chapter 11

"Is this really necessary?" Jensen asks as Aisha, once again, ties him to a tree.

"Do I really have to answer that?" she smirks.

"_You_ are enjoying this waaaay too much."

"It has its perks," she admits. "At least I'm not gagging you."

Jensen suddenly flinches, then blinks his eyes several times.

"You all right?" Aisha asks.

"Yeah, I'm…I'm fine," he answers, furling his eyebrows. "Just a weird flash… Hey, maybe you should tie those a little tighter."

"You aren't going anywhere," she smiles at him sympathetically, patting him on the shoulder as she stands. He nods distractedly as she moves back over to sit beside Clay and the others.

"How is he?" Clay asks.

"Says he's fine," she shrugs. "So do we have some sort of plan, or are we just going to sit here until something happens?"

Clay looks over at Jensen who has his head down, shaking it back and forth ever so slightly. He watches as the blonde manages to wiggle the glasses off his face, dropping them into his lap, after which he proceeds to jerkily look around himself, blinking rapidly.

"He's not telling us something," Clay finally says as he turns his attention back to the team. "I saw it in his face when he was running through the files."

"All I saw was him bein' pissed off when you came back and forced him to get to work," Pooch states. "I _already_ thought he acted like a big, stupid kid; but, man, that tantrum was gold."

"I'm talking about when he snapped out of it," Clay explains. "You ever know Jensen to keep his mouth shut when he's on his computer?"

Pooch frowns. "No, but I just figured he was goin' through another phase."

Clay shakes his head. "I don't think so. Whatever he found in those files has him worried."

They all look at the hacker again, seeing him pressing his head back against the trunk of the tree, eyes squeezed shut, muttering something to himself over and over again. Clay squints at him, stands, and motions for the others to stay where they are as he moves to check on the obviously distraught man. As he nears, he can hear Jensen muttering "they're not real" in a sing-songy fashion.

"You don't look like you're holding up too well, kid," Clay says, leaning over the bound man.

"Oh, I'm fine," Jensen replies casually, keeping his eyes shut tight. "I mean, sure, I'm hallucinating a plague of spiders overrunning the whole camp, but nothing to worry about." He cracks an eye open to peek at Clay. "I _am_ hallucinating, right?"

"I don't see any spiders," Clay assures him. "Besides, if there were, you'd be hearing Pooch screaming like a little girl."

Jensen barks out a nervous laugh. "He's not afraid of spiders."

"He hates them more than you. He just hides it a little better," Clay grins.

"No shit?"

"No shit."

Jensen's smile grows bigger as he nods, squeezing his eye shut again and blowing out a deep breath. Clay pats him on the leg.

"Try to get some sleep. Tomorrow we'll work on how to get those robots out of your head."

"…Right…" Jensen sighs, but says no more.

* * *

As soon as Cougar loosens the bindings around his arms, Jensen springs up from the ground and claps his hands together, words pouring out of his mouth at a hyper-fast rate.

"All right, so here's the deal. I can't just reprogram the bots from my computer because there's no way to get a direct signal from Sasha to inside my head. The only way to shut them down is to send in like an officer bot to order them to knock it off. The problem is, I destroyed the nanite cache when I blew the computer in the lab, so the only way to get one of the bots to reprogram is to pull it out of my head. The problem with _that_ is we can't do it from here. There's a complicated extraction process involving a lot of equipment and trained personnel, and frankly, we don't have the time to get all that before I short-circuit, so I was thinking about this all night, and I think the best way to go about this is to have Spunky Barney over there 'capture' me, take me back to Max's compound, and have the mad scientist guys pull some of the buggers out, because really, that's what they want me for, anyway. Then, when they have a few, you guys rush in, save the prisoner, take out the bad guys, and I go to work anti-cyborging myself. Sound good?"

Clay, Aisha, Cougar, and Pooch stare at him for a second before Pooch says. "Damn, boy, did you breathe at all during that?"

"Probably not," Jensen answers matter-of-factly. "So…?"

"There's no other way?" Clay asks.

"Not that I can think of, no; at least, not at the rate I'm deteriorating."

Aisha speaks as she works on cleaning her guns. "So all we have to do is let you get caught, let Max work you over a little bit, gun down a complex full of trained soldiers that we've already hit once, haul your ass back out, then hope you're still lucid enough to get rid of your virus."

"Basically, yeah," he confirms in that same matter-of-fact tone.

Pooch sighs. "Let's do this."

"Uh…there's one more little thing," Jensen says hesitantly. He waits until they all look at him before he continues. "Once they start pulling the bots out, you have to get me out of there _pretty _fast."

"Why's that?" Clay asks.

"Because if you don't, and they manage to get all of them, you won't have anyone left to save."

Cougar takes off his hat and runs a hand through his hair while Pooch lets out a tense breath. Aisha looks up at Clay who closes his eyes in resignation. "Then we do this fast and we do it clean, no room for errors."

"You got a plan, Colonel?" Pooch asks.

Clay looks over at their hostage, a small smile forming on his face. "I'm beginning to get one…"

"Uh oh, Spunky Barney, that look on his face means bad, bad things for you," Jensen grins.

The soldier's eyes go wide as Clay moves towards him.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **Thank you all for the kind reviews, on this one and on my other little Jensen short. Thank you especially to **gottalovealoser**. She's got to be my favorite reviewer of any of my stories - she just makes me laugh so much! You guys keep me motivated to continue writing, and I only hope I don't disappoint! :)

* * *

Jensen stumbles through the woods, dragging the half-conscious hostage beside him. Both men are coated in various amounts of blood, almost none of which is actually coming from Jensen. He talks animatedly, a huge smile on his face.

"This – I think you outdid yourself on this one, Clay. I mean, my idea was _okay_, but this is sooo much better. I mean look at me! I look like a total bad-ass! I get to be, like, the Hulk, the Punisher, and Robo-Cop all combined into this crazy, super scary, tripped-out dude. I am _loving _this plan. Just have Spunky Barney take me in? - psshh, what the hell was I _thinking_? That would've been totally obvious, everyone on both teams being wiped out except for one guy. Clearly I was not thinking straight when I came up with _that_ one. Got to stay on my game."

"Jensen, you're getting close to the compound," Clay cuts in.

"I know! I bet when I get there, they're gonna piss themselves. Maybe they'll be so impressed with what's it turned me into that they'll just keep the virus how it is. Actually turn it into a super-soldier enhancement sorta deal, right?... Ya know, when I get the sample, with a few modifications I could just-"

"No. You're going to destroy it. _All _of it. That's an order."

"I know, I know. Sheesh, it was just a joke. You've really gotta lighten up, Clay. Keep going like that and you'll have a heart attack before you're….wait, how old _are_ you, anyway? Oh man, how many birthday presents have I missed? You always celebrate _my_ birthday. Of course, I have a tendency to make it _painfully_ obvious when my big day's coming up. I do like a good party."

"Jensen! Quit running your damn mouth before someone hears you."

"I really don't think I can. I'm working on overdrive or something. Normally I'd chalk this up to nervous energy, but even _I _can keep my mouth shut when I really need to. I'd say this is another round of mini-robos playing let's-poke-the-Jensen-brain. I keep telling myself to shut the old trap, but the order _just_ isn't getting through. I guess I could just stop here for a little while until it passes…"

Clay thinks for a second before answering. "Can you switch gears? Focus that energy into your role?"

"Ha _ha_! You're a smart man, Clay. I guess that's why you're the one in charge, huh? The one with allll the plans. I can definitely go De Niro mode, here. Or – ooh – Jack Nicholson. Yeah, that'd be better for the part. A little 'here's Johnny' action should do the trick. What do ya think, there, Spunky Barney? No opinion? Ah well, everyone's a critic, right?"

Pooch's voice cuts in next. "Do we have to yell 'action' or something, here? Get your ass into character before somebody shoots your damn mouth off."

"Oh, come on, they won't shoot me. They have orders to bring me in, remember? I am practically _un_touchable."

"Jensen!" Clay, Pooch, and Aisha all shout at the same time.

"All right, all right, no need to yell. Buncha buzzkills… Oh, hey, I think I see someone up ahead. Yep, I definitely see someone. And here…we….go." He pulls out his earpiece and drops it into the bushes before moving forward.

"Finally," Aisha mumbles.

Jensen pushes his charge in front of him, turning the man into essentially a human shield as they get closer to the two guards in the clearing ahead. He calls out to them before they get a chance to see him, pitching his voice up higher than normal and altering his tone to one of such desperation and anguish that he almost sounds belligerent.

"Hey! Hey, you fucking _pricks!" _They turn immediately, pointing their guns at him. He keeps moving forward, careful to keep his hostage in front of him. "You gonna shoot me? Huh? Well go right the fuck ahead! Shoot the fucking package! That's all I am now, right? The package? 'Cause I'm sure as hell not anything else! Not after…not after…" He wipes his forehead with the back of one shaky, blood-covered hand, drawing it back down to stare at it. The two guards throw a questioning glance at each other, keeping their guns steadily trained on him until he suddenly starts laughing maniacally. They jump at the sound before regaining their composure, one of them placing a finger to his earpiece.

"Sir, we, uh, we think we've attained the package…No, sir, he came to us…Yes. He's got Peters with him… They probably wiped out the rest of Clay's unit-"

"What?" Jensen says with a dangerously low tone, abruptly cutting off his laughing fit. "You think _this_ dipshit could actually take down my team? You think _any_ of those assholes could take us out? They were _nothing!_ Easier to squash than ants on a picnic table… In fact, now that Peters, here, led me back to you boys, I don't need him anymore, do I?"

With one swift movement, he wraps his arms around Peters' head and twists, hard. The sound of the neck snapping makes the guards flinch and take a step back, raising their guns to aim at Jensen's head.

"Holy shit, did he just kill Spunky Barney?" Pooch asks. "What the hell is he doing?"

"He's in character," Clay utters.

"Playing his part a little too well, isn't he?" Pooch counters.

"I'm not sure he knows he's playing anymore," Aisha answers.

"He doesn't," Cougar agrees.

Undaunted by the guns, Jensen takes another step forward, keeping his voice low, almost feral. "You wanna know who took out my team? Who's responsible for killing the great Colonel Clay and his rogue band of losers? We were supposed to be untouchable, right? Right? Well I'll tell you something. We weren't untouchable from the _inside._ Roque, man, he could've done it. If he hadn't made everything so damn complicated, he could've killed every one of us. He just didn't act fast enough." He looks at his hands again before continuing in a more detached voice. "Just had to move fast, catch them off guard. No thinking, no drawn-out plans… Just swish, swish, swish with the knife, one after the other. They didn't even get the chance to scream…" His eyes fill up with tears as he looks up at the guards. "_I _did that!" he shouts, making them jump again. "I killed them, all because of your damn virus! I couldn't stop it! I couldn't… Just get it the _fuck_ out of my head!"

He drops down to his knees in the dirt, breathing heavily, his eyes staring straight ahead at nothing. After a few seconds, one of the guards steps forward, reaching to his belt to pull out his handcuffs. Jensen doesn't seem to notice. Ever so carefully, with his partner covering him, the guard binds Jensen's hands behind his back and stands him up.

"We're bringing him in, sir," the other guard affirms. "Yes, sir, he's secured."

Jensen flashes his eyes up at the man, an odd smile on his face and a deep, almost inaudible laughter rumbling in his throat. The guard stumbles over his next words. "Uh, s-sir. Request for backup… Yes, I did say he was secure, but he seems, uh, unstable… Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

Jensen simply laughs a little louder as he allows the men to lead him back towards the compound. Aisha, Clay, Pooch, and Cougar look on from their hidden positions in the trees.

"Well. That was…disturbing," Pooch says.

"Just hope he snaps out of it," Aisha states. "If he got it in his head that he really killed us, it's going to be one hell of a shock when we jump in there to save his ass."

"If we don't get moving, it won't matter," Clay points out. "Let's go, losers, we've got a schedule to keep. He's counting on us."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **I've returned! Lol, at least this update didn't take as long as that last one, right? Forgive me?

* * *

"Are you pulling my chain? Please tell me you're not pulling my chain, because I swear, if this is a joke-" Max pauses to listen to the voice on the other end of the phone. A chipper smile spreads across his face as he takes a sip from his martini glass. "Well, that _is _good news; plus, it means I don't have to kill you. Yeah! I'll be there in two hours. Don't start without me." He hangs up the phone and directs the driver of the limo towards the airport.

* * *

Jensen sits stalk-still and eerily quiet, his hands shackled in front of him, mindless of the two doctors circling around him.

"Fascinating," the one with the cane says, jotting something down in a notebook.

"Like flicking a switch," the other agrees, shining a pen light directly into the blond's eyes. The pupils don't even react to the stimulus. "Curious…" he says, grabbing a scalpel off the table.

"He said not to start without him!" the cane-doctor frantically yelps.

"He won't even know," the other answers, bending down to roll up the hacker's pant leg. Slowly, he draws a small cut across the man's calf. "Anything?" he asks.

"Didn't even blink," cane-doctor answers, his curiosity also peaked.

Quickly, the uninjured scientist cleans up the blood and wraps the wound, allowing the pant leg to fall back into place. "There," he grins. "Max won't know a thing."

The hacker suddenly jolts awake, his eyes flicking across the two doctors and the few guards standing around the room. "Max?" he asks no one in particular.

"Mr. Jensen, welcome back," cane-doctor greets, ignoring the question.

"Where's Max?" Jensen asks again, ignoring the greeting.

"He'll be here soon," the other doctor assures him. "He's very interested in seeing you join your unit."

Jensen furls his eyebrows. "My unit?" His eyes dance back and forth along the floor as he searches his memory. They stop and he looks up at the two doctors in alarm. "Oh god, I killed them," he nearly whispers. Tears well up in his eyes when the men in front of him merely look at him with mock sympathy. "Oh no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no," the blond mutters, bringing his bound hands up to cradle his head. He freezes when he sees the dried blood covering his fingers, palms, wrists, and running down his arms. A second later, he throws himself down out of the chair and lands hard on his knees, retching violently.

"Come now, no reason for that," the uninjured doctor soothes, resting a hand on Jensen's back. "Like we said, you'll be with your men soon. Then you'll have nothing else to worry about."

The techie allows himself to be picked up off the ground and placed back in the chair. His tears suddenly cease and he cocks his head to one side. The doctors watch closely as he blinks a few times, then begins to laugh.

"Did we miss a joke, Mr. Jensen?" cane-doctor asks.

Jensen leans forward, glancing at both of them. In a whisper, he giggles out, "Pooch is in my head." At their confused expressions, he rocks back into the chair, his laughter echoing around the small lab. The scientists look at each other, shrug, and jot down more notes concerning the erratic behavior of their subject.

* * *

Pooch, dressed in a guard uniform and keeping his hat tugged down low over his face, makes another pass down the hall outside the room Jensen is being held in. He pauses at the large mirrored window looking into the lab and has to hold himself in check when he watches the doctor cut into his friend's leg.

"You're mine," he promises.

"How's he doing, Pooch?" Clay asks over the comm.

"They're treatin' him like a damn lab rat," Pooch snarls, "but he's still in one piece."

He sees Jensen snap out of his latest trance and exchange words with the scientists, then witnesses the hacker's emotional outburst. "Shit," he mumbles.

"What's going on?" Aisha asks.

"Either our boy really does deserve that Oscar, or he really thinks he killed us." He hears a slew of curses coming through his earpiece but ignores them. Instead, he looks up and down the hall to make sure no one is watching before pressing his forehead against the glass. "Hang in there, Jensen. We're right here for you, buddy." Back on the chair, Jensen cocks his head and Pooch's eyes light up. "That's it, man, focus your freaky RoboCop hearing right here. Listen to your boy, Pooch. We're gonna get you outta there, you hear me?"

As he watches the hacker slide into a fit of laughter, he can only hope his words got through to the man on some level. "Damn," he curses, and pushes away from the window to make another of his assigned rounds.

* * *

Cougar maintains his position in the same tree he had started in at the very beginning of this mission, frowning when he sees a dark vehicle enter the compound. He shifts around on the branch so he can get a better view of the individual stepping out of the car, and his frown quickly transforms into a scowl.

"Max is here," he informs the others.

"…Cougar, repeat," Clay requests.

"Max. He's here," the sniper says again.

"Little fucker…" Aisha hisses.

"This doesn't change anything," Clay is quick to point out. "If Max is here, he's after his virus. They'll start on Jensen when he gets to the lab. I want everybody ready to move. Jensen's still the priority, here."

"But you won't object if Max happens to eat a bullet along the way?" Pooch asks.

"No objections," the Colonel affirms, and they can practically hear the smile in his tone. He continues in a more serious manner. "Aisha, I think it's safe to say Jensen won't be backing you on this one. You good to handle it on your own?"

"He walked me through everything just in case. I got it," she assures him from her position back inside one of the dark electrical consoles.

"Good. Pooch, make your next round right behind Max. I want to know the second they start extracting that virus so we can pull Jensen out of there. Keep your distance, though, we don't Max recognizing you."

"I know how to tail a guy without getting caught," Pooch huffs indignantly.

Clay ignores him and moves on. "Cougar, be ready. We're gonna be coming out fast."

"As usual," the sniper grins, keeping his eye trained on his scope while he snakes one hand down into the bag hanging from the branch beside him.

* * *

Clay presses himself against the wall as another guard passes his location. Ignoring the cameras in the halls he makes his way carefully through the building until he reaches a familiar door. Aisha opens it for him on his signal and he slips into the room where Jensen first contracted the horrible virus. The computer still sits in shambles in the middle of the otherwise empty space and Clay smiles wickedly at it.

"Hey Sparky," he says, patting the side of the burned out tower. "No offense, but you just happen to be sitting in the best place to set the charges." He pulls his hand back to reveal the black box with the blinking red light he's stuck to the side of the tower. He moves about the room setting several more in various corners. Just before he leaves, he turns back to the machine. "I take that back. The offense is intentional"

With that, he slips out the door and heads down the corridor towards the lab, a satisfied smirk playing on his face.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: **Yes, **Smarley**, bullying and intimidation _does _work! Lol, thank you for cornering me until I updated. ;)

Thank you to **Aislinn Graves, **my beta for my 'Magnificent Seven' stories who took a chance on checking out 'Losers' so she could jump into beta-ing the rest of this one for me. She now has an unhealthy obsession with Cougar, and it was her idea to write a little crossover drabble of 'Losers/Magnificent Seven' (which she insisted I cowrite so it became a joint effort) in which the two similar snipers from each group hang out on a rooftop (and I threw in my Jakie-poo 'cause you know I loves him). If you guys want to check it out, wander over to the TV/Magnificent Seven fandom and look for **Ambush **or you can just find it on **Aislinn**'s profile. (and thank her for also bullying me into updating sooner, lol).

* * *

Jensen continues to sit with an oddly satisfied smirk on his face when the door to the lab slides open and Max steps in.

"Well, we're certainly in a good mood today, aren't we?" Max grins.

Jensen turns to face the new arrival. "Maaaax, buddy!" he greets through a laugh. "You're late for the party!"

Max keeps his gaze locked on the hacker, stepping closer and studying him as if he were a fine work of art. "Wow! The virus is responsible for this?"

"Uh, yes sir," cane-scientist answers quickly. "His behavior has been…erratic, to say the least. He seems to shift moods as quickly as-"

Jensen suddenly hisses in pain and brings up his shackled hands, pressing the heel of one palm against the bridge of his nose. Keeping his head bowed and his eyes squeezed shut, he takes a few halting breaths before letting out a shuddering cry.

"What's the matter?" Max asks with mock sincerity.

"Worst….brainfreeze…..ever," Jensen manages to gasp out. He leans forward and begins to rock back and forth, breathing out each time he rolls forward. The men in the room observe him for a few moments until the rocking motions slow and the hacker's breathing begins to even out. He lets out one long, calming breath before he goes still again, letting his hands drop down to his lap as he stares blankly at the floor.

Max straightens up and smiles. "That was fun. If I didn't want my virus back so badly I might consider selling him off to a freak show. Would probably make a fortune…" He turns back to the two men standing behind him and shrugs. "But, frankly, I don't have the time to be making negotiations with some midget ringmaster. Get the equipment ready. I want my bots out of his useless brain."

The strike comes so fast that it takes everyone completely by surprise. Like a snake snapping up a mouse in its fangs, Jensen springs from the chair and throws his arms over Max's head. He brings the short chain connecting the cuffs up against Max's neck and pulls it tight, but not enough to actually choke the man.

Max glares at the two scientists. "See, now _this _is why you should always strap down a prisoner. Tell me, _why _was he not better restrained?"

"Shut up," Jensen hisses in his ear with an eerie calmness that further supports the comparison of the man to a snake. "I should kill you right now," he says slowly, drawing the words out in that oddly quiet tone.

"Jensen, I really don't thi-" Max's words are choked off as the chain is pulled tighter against his throat.

"I told you to shut up," Jensen scolds with the patient tone of a loving parent reprimanding his child.

The doors slide open and a couple soldiers rush in, aiming their guns at Jensen's head. He whips around to face them, twisting his hands to a slightly different angle without loosening up on the chain's choking pressure.

"Don't do it," one of the soldiers orders, his hat pulled low over his face.

Jensen stares at the man for a second before a slow smile spreads across his face. He immediately releases has captive and pats the gasping Max on the back in a brotherly manner. "Just kidding. No hard feelings, right?"

Max spins around and punches the hacker across the face. Jensen hits the ground and rolls onto his back, laughing as he gently touches a finger to his bloodied lip. "Ah Max, you know I can't kill you. Who else would pay these nice lab dudes to get the virus out of my brain if you were dead?" He reaches his arms up and shoots his nemesis an innocent look as he waits for help getting pulled to his feet.

"Get him up, and strap him to that chair," Max orders the soldiers. The one who had spoke to Jensen steps forward, still keeping his face down, and reaches down his hand. The blond grasps it and uses his leverage to pull himself up beside the soldier's ear.

"Thought you were dead," Jake whispers so quietly that Pooch almost doesn't catch the words. His only response is to squeeze the hacker's hand reassuringly, careful not to do anything further that might risk blowing his cover. Just to make it more realistic he shoves Jensen down onto the chair hard, bringing the restraints up from beneath it and cinching them down tight over his friend.

"Had a lot of practice with that? Maybe do a little S&M on the side?" Jensen winks. Pooch pulls the strap even harder, causing the hacker to flinch and mumble out a little "ow."

Pooch takes just a millisecond to study Jensen's eyes, noticing how clear they are. With a gruff voice he snarls, "Better watch yourself, kid, we're all right outside with our guns loaded just itching for a reason to shoot somebody." In agreement, the other soldiers smile and twitch their fingers on the triggers of their guns.

"Yeah, I gotcha," Jensen says dismissively, the tiny smile on his face barely discernible.

"Enough of this," Max fumes. He points to the soldiers as he gives them orders. "You, out. If you hear a gunshot, ignore it. It's probably just me shooting one of these idiots in the face."

The scientists both tense up, looking at one another. The uninjured one speaks up with a shaky voice. "Sir, _both _of us will need to remain functional to operate the machine."

Max seems to mull over the information for a second as the soldiers, along with Pooch, exit the room. He rubs at the raw spot on his neck and huffs out an exaggerated sigh. "Fine, I won't shoot you." He turns his head to the side and mumbles out a tiny "yet" before clapping his hands together. "Let's get on with it, then."

The two frightened men jump into action, one moving over the computer-ridden workstation as the other wheels a large apparatus from the corner. Jensen swallows as the man maneuvers the arm of the machine, centering what looks like a half-rectangled magnet over his ears. Another piece of metal is flipped down that resembles a cross hovering over his eyes and the length of his nose. He snorts out a little laugh.

"Something funny?" Max snaps, his own good humor long gone.

Jensen shakes his head ever so slightly. "Just imagining what I look like." His grin grows wider. "RoboCop," he laughs again.

His laugh is cut off as Max reaches a hand up and flips a switch on the side of the machine. Jensen holds out for a full two seconds before he starts to scream.

* * *

"Dammit, I told you to stay away from Max," Clay scolds into the comm.

Pooch rounds a corner away from the other men he had just exited the room with and leans heavily against the wall.

"I had to do something. Jensen was gonna kill him," Pooch explains.

Aisha's voice cuts in. "And that's a bad thing why?"

"Because if Jensen killed the bastard, Max's boys would've shot him down, virus or not. Besides, it was my chance to let him know we weren't dead." Pooch sneaks a peek back around the corner and curses as he watches the other soldiers still milling around outside the lab's viewing window.

"You get through to him?" Clay asks.

"Yeah, yeah I'm pretty sure I did." He scowls as he sees smiles form on the men he's watching. "Clay, something's happening, but I can't get close enough to look. Got some goons that need taken care of."

"Guess that's my cue," Aisha states. "Showtime boys."

She starts punching in buttons on the keypad and alarms start blaring all around the building. The soldiers rush off immediately, passing Pooch by as he makes himself small against the wall. Taking just a second to make certain the way to the lab is clear, he races over to the viewing window and freezes at the sight in front of him.

"Oh god," he mutters, wanting to look away but unable to pull his gaze from what is happening to his friend. His eyes widen at the sudden realization of what the high-pitched noise is that's been carrying just beneath the wailing alarms. It's the sound of Jensen's tortured screams pushing right through the supposedly soundproofed room.

* * *

**A/N: **And what does bullying get? Terrible cliffies of dooooommmmmm! Lol, okay, so I tend to end on cliffies anyway. This one was a particularly evil one, though. :)


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: **See, I'm not that mean. I didn't make you guys wait _too_ long (which you should probably thank my beta **Aislinn** for since she likes to kick my butt from all the way on the other side of the country if I slack off...). Thanks for all the awesome reviews, btw! You guys _rock!

* * *

_"Clay, Aisha, we gotta get him out of there, _now!" _ Pooch yells into his comm., breaking himself out his shock.

"Hold on Pooch, I'm coming," Clay orders, the urgency in Pooch's tone sending him down the hall at a dead sprint. He hardly takes notice of two soldiers running past him, dispatching them as quickly as their realization sets in that he shouldn't be there.

"Fuck!" Aisha yells as she continues to create havoc with the lights, alarms, and doors in the building. "Clay, I'm coming out!"

"No," he tells her sternly. "Remember what Jensen said, that lab door won't stay open unless you hold it."

She punches a fist into the side of the nook she's tucked away in, denting the metal. "If that little shit dies, you better save some of Max's hide for me."

"And me," Cougar growls, his finger twitching on the trigger of his rifle as he waits for his chance to reap his own vengeance.

Inside the lab, Max has his fingers in his ears and he lets out an annoyed huff. "My god, all the screaming and the sirens, it's going to…yes…yes, I think I feel a migraine coming on. Gentlemen, is there something we can do about all the _NOISE!"_

"Sorry, sir," the injured scientist working on the computer cringes, "but it appears someone is overriding the system. Until they're caught, there's nothing I can do about the sirens."

"Useless, I'm surrounded by useless idiots." Max looks at the man writhing in agony on the chair, his screams increasing in volume. "I suppose I can solve _this_ problem, myself."

He pulls out his gun and points it at Jensen's chest, then cocks his head as he sees the blood dripping from the hacker's palms around embedded fingernails. A slight smirk tugs at his lips before it's wiped away by another ear-piercing scream, causing him to cringe against the sound. Sighing, he puts the gun away and yanks the tie from around the neck of the scientist manning the machine, stuffing it down into Jensen's open mouth.

"There, that's better," he grins as the makeshift gag transforms the screams into muffled cries.

Pooch slams a fist against the window. "Can't you cut the power in that room?" he asks desperately.

"Jensen told me not to," Aisha snaps at him. "Said it might short circuit the nanobots or some shit like that."

"Then, dammit Clay, hurry your ass up," Pooch urges.

"Almost there," the Colonel informs him as he takes down another soldier who is unlucky enough to cross his path. He turns a corner and races up behind Pooch, tapping on his shoulder without stopping as he rushes towards the door. "Get it open!" he orders.

"About damn time," Aisha grumbles as she punches in the code Jensen had given her, keeping her fingers pressed firmly against all four buttons.

Max and the two scientists spin around as the lab door slides open and they find themselves looking down the barrels of twin pistols.

"Whoa!" Max starts, throwing his hands up. "You don't want to kill us, _Clay," _he glares at the two scientists,_ "_who was supposed to be _dead_. You take us out and there won't be anyone to turn off our lovely machine, here."

Clay looks down at Jensen's struggling form, the young man's back arching against the restraints with blood pooling on the floor beneath his hands. The Colonel barely notices the agonized sobs as he takes in the sight of his soldier's face, a steady stream of red spilling out from the man's eyes, nose, and ears as bolts of electricity shoot into them from the nodes on the metal mask. At a closer look, Clay's eyes widen as he realizes his mistake – the lightening isn't running from the machine to Jensen, but the other way around.

"Turn it off!" he shouts.

The man in the chair jumps and turns back to the console, his fingers flying across the keyboard. With a couple short pops and fizzles, the electricity stops firing from within the hacker and his body slumps back into the chair. Another second later all the lights in the room go out.

"Shit!" Pooch shouts, dropping to the ground as he fires in Max's general direction. "Aisha, what are you doing?"

"Holding the door open, what do you think I'm doing?" she snarls.

A chair crashes to the ground and Pooch hears a struggle and then a panicked squeak.

"Turn the lights back on," Clay orders, his voice low and deadly.

"I can't, I can't from here," a shaky voice stammers out. "I ordered the system's security shutdown procedures to fire. You have to turn it back on from the outside."

Pooch smiles when he hears the man cry out in pain again, but then turns concerned eyes towards the exit when he hears footsteps coming down the hall – a lot of them.

"Clay, we're about to have company," he warns.

"Let go of the door, this is gonna take longer than we thought," the Colonel orders and they hear the door slide shut into place, leaving them in complete blackness. "I've got someone on the outside hacking into your systems. You are going to tell her exactly how to turn the lights and that computer back on. Got it?" His voice is almost friendly as he speaks, which serves to terrify the injured scientist even more.

Cougar's voice interrupts Clay's threats. "Labcoat coming out," he informs them.

"Shoot him," Clay, Pooch, and Aisha say at the same time.

"But don't kill him," Pooch adds. "I've got a score to settle with that one."

Cougar does as told, taking out both of the scientist's legs and watching him crumble to the ground. The soldiers outside the building immediately take cover, firing randomly into the trees. Their shots fall well short of the range of the sniper's rifle and he pastes on an evil smile as finally gets his chance to take down some prey.

"When the fuck do _I _get to shoot somebody?" Aisha grumbles as she awaits further instruction. It only takes another second before an unfamiliar voice comes through on the comm.

"Um, hello?" the frightened scientist calls tentatively.

She grins. "Alright, dipshit, hurry up and tell me what I need to do so I can get the hell out of here, then maybe by the time I get to you I won't kill your dumb ass."

Instructions begin to pour faster into her ear and she quickly complies.

While the scientist babbles away numbers from his position in the corner, Clay and Pooch feel their way around the machine hovering above Jensen's head. It folds back out of the way easily enough and Pooch shoves it harshly up against the wall while Clay gently pulls the tie out of the hacker's mouth. The lights suddenly flip back on, blinding everyone in the room for a second before their eyes adjust; and when they do, the men get their first full glimpse of the damage inflicted on their young friend. Random muscles on his body twitch convulsively here and there, his face and neck covered in blood, his breathing coming out in ragged little gasps, and his pain-glazed eyes staring up at nothing.

Clay reaches out a hand and lays it gently on Jensen's forehead, his face a mask of concern, anger, and utter sadness. Pooch steps up beside him and begins to unbuckle the many straps now useless in their purpose. It's obvious that the man in the chair isn't going anywhere on his own any time soon.

"You think he knew?" Pooch asks quietly as he works.

Clay shuts his eyes and swallows, nodding his head. "Yeah, he knew. Damn idiot knew _exactly _what he was walking into."

He pulls away from Jensen abruptly and stalks over to the scientist huddled in the corner. With no emotion at all crossing his features he turns his gun around and hits the man hard across the face, sending him into temporary oblivion. Bending down he yanks his comm. out of the man's slack hands and shoves it back in his ear.

"Clay?" Aisha asks, a tinge of concern actually coming through in her voice.

"He's alive, but he's out. We're stuck here until he comes to enough to take care of this damn virus." He turns angrily at the door as the soldiers on the outside slam against it.

"Want me to clear the air a little for you boys?" Aisha offers.

"Thought you'd never ask," Clay grins. "And Aisha? Just thought you'd like to know that Max is running around out there somewhere, too."

"Is that so?" she says with a sardonic grin, moving through the hall and emptying an entire clip in a matter of seconds.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: **And we're back! Sorry, took longer to update this than it was supposed to... Blame Ais! She distracted me with 'Ambush.' ...Then blame my muse for distracting me with another 'Losers' short that'll be heading your way soon...

* * *

"Come on Jake, time to come back to the real world," Clay gently coaxes as he continues to clean the blood from the blond's face and neck. Pooch looks up from the wrap job he's doing on Jensen's hands to see if there's any reaction, disappointed when there isn't any. The hacker's eyes remain glazed over, almost empty as they stare off into some unknown void. If not for the slow, shallow breaths and the occasional tremors that pass through his body, he would look dead.

"You need some clean water?" Pooch asks, nodding at the shallow tray Clay is using to dampen his rag. The Colonel looks down to see that the once clear water inside is now a dark crimson color. He is about to hand the tray over to Pooch when Jensen suddenly sits up, ramrod-straight, in the chair.

"Do I it didn't!" he shouts, then jerks back as if he's been slapped. "What?"

Pooch and Clay share a confused look.

"I was just about to say the same thing," Pooch comments. "You okay?"

Jensen blinks a few times before scrunching up his face in thought. "No," he finally answers.

"What can we do to help?" Clay asks.

"You unless arms make…" Jensen stops talking and shakes his head. Taking in a deep breath he then focuses on one word at a time, leaving lengthy pauses between them. "Arms…won't…move."

"Fuck," Pooch whispers, running a hand over his head. "You sure?"

Jensen shoots him an irritated look. "Trying," he snaps.

Clay sighs and looks over at the computer. "Can you walk one of us through whatever it is you need to do to grab a few of these bots?"

Another shudder rolls its way through Jensen's body and he inhales sharply, closing his eyes until the pain passes. Nodding as he lets out the breath he's holding, he sighs out a simple, "Yes."

Clay looks him over again, his face a mask of concern. "If you're not up for this right now-"

"I'm…fine," Jensen tells him with a stern voice, even as a fresh trail of red begins to ooze from his nose.

Pooch shakes his head and grabs the tray from Clay, walking it over to the lab's sink to rinse it out. He grabs a fresh washcloth from a drawer and chucks it at the Colonel, who tries to press it gently to the hacker's nose. Jake jerks away from it and shakes his head.

"Later," he says, and looks over at the computer console, determination in his eyes.

Without turning away from Jensen, Clay straightens up and takes charge again. "Pooch, get him over there and both of you get to work on that damn virus. Aisha, Cougar, what's your status?"

"Leading these assholes on a wild goose chase," Aisha informs him. "Too bad no one ever taught them geese bite back. How's Jensen?"

"Hanging in there," Clay says, catching the younger man under his arm as his knees begin to buckle. They get him settled into the computer chair and wait patiently as another wave of pain rolls through him.

"Glasses?" Jensen asks as he squints at the screen. Pooch and Clay search around the lab until they find where the scientists stashed them, settling them on the tech's face. When he gives them the nod that he's ready to continue, Clay steps away and lets Pooch handle the carefully given directions.

"Cougar?" the Colonel asks again.

"Busy," is the curt answer, a definite fire in the sniper's tone.

Clay smirks. "Hope you're not doing anything stupid."

His smile widens when he's only met with silence for a response. Checking his watch, he fingers the remote detonator in his pocket with his other hand. "How long do you think this'll take?" he asks the two men working on extracting the bots.

"All day at this rate," Pooch mutters.

"Sorry," Jensen nearly whispers, failing to cover up a wince.

Pooch looks at him. "Hey. This is _not_ your fault, all right? Now come on, give me the next code so we can end this and get the fuck out of here. Sounds like Aisha and Cougar are throwin' a party out there and I don't want to miss it."

"I don't either," Clay smirks, slamming a new clip into his gun. "Open the door. I've got a rat to catch."

* * *

Aisha curses as she starts to turn around a corner and nearly runs smack into a group of several armed, angry soldiers. They open fire on her immediately and she just barely has time to correct her course before she hears the bullets slamming into the wall behind her. She takes the next hallway she comes to, instead, risking a glance back at the sounds of too many footsteps close at her rear. Using the darkness as her only cover she attempts to make her own footfalls lighter, doing her best to mask her location.

As she rounds another corner a hand suddenly shoots out and pulls her against the wall. Her initial instinct to lash out is stilled when a single finger is pressed to her lips.

"Shhhh," a familiar voice whispers.

She nods as Cougar slowly guides her back down the hall he had appeared from, both silent as jungle cats as the horde of troops run right past them.

"Aren't you supposed to be outside?" she asks quietly when they're out of danger of being caught.

"They stopped coming," Cougar responds, his tone completely serious.

"Good," she nods. "Not that I can't handle these guys on my own, but glad for the help." She peers back down the hall, making sure it's clear. "One of us needs to make a pass by the lab. I keep catching these fuckers trying to tamper with the door."

"I'll go," he volunteers quickly.

"Thought you might want to," she smiles back. "Tell the boys I said hi."

With that she slips off again, heading in the opposite direction Cougar needs to go in. He waits a few minutes until the sounds of gunfire echo down the hall, then quickly disappears through the unlit building. He makes it back to the lab without incident and, just as Aisha said, found himself observing the efforts of a group of six men doing their damnedest to pry open the metal barrier that is keeping Pooch and Jensen safe. Slowly, quietly, he lowers himself to the ground and sets the closest man to him in his sights. He silently shifts his gun from man to man, counting off the timing it would take between shots. Satisfied, he draws a bead back on the first man and proceeds to swiftly take out all six, only the last man having the chance to return fire before he goes down. The shot flies neatly over Cougar's head, the sniper not so much as flinching at the sound of it embedding into the wall above him. He stands up and quickly moves the bodies away from the door, then circles around so he can look through the viewing window. Inside, he sees Pooch typing numbers slowly into a computer, Jensen sitting beside him with smeared blood all over his face and shirt despite Clay's earlier cleaning. Cougar pushes closer to the glass, noting the obvious exhausted slouch in the hacker's position and the way he keeps slowly blinking his eyes as he strains to stay focused on the screen.

"Pooch," Cougar calls, tapping on the glass.

Pooch smiles and without looking away from the computer taps in a few keys that open the door. Cougar rushes back around and steps into the room, waiting just inside until the lab is once again closed off from enemy forces.

"Hi…Cougs," Jensen greets him with a tired smile.

"How long?" the sniper asks, the concern on his face evident.

Pooch frowns. "I don't know. Didn't think it would be this complicated just to transfer some of these little bastards to a drive."

"Not," Jensen informs them. He looks up apologetically. "Reprogramming."

Pooch stares at him. "Reprogramming? That wasn't the plan, Jensen. The plan was to get in, have those assholes pull some of the fuckers out of your head, put 'em on a drive, and get the hell out of here; or did you forget that last part?"

Jake shakes his head. "No…time."

"Time for what?" Pooch argues. "Once we get out of here you have all the time you need to... what'd you call it? Change the orders on your soldier bots and send them back in?"

"Mind's…slipping," the hacker explains. "Now…or…" His body shakes with another violent tremor and he blinks in confusion when it passes. "Saying?" he asks.

"Now or never," Cougar finishes the sentence.

Jensen nods solemnly, his eyes flicking back towards the apparatus that Pooch had shoved into the corner. Pooch follows his gaze and his eyes widen in alarm.

"Oh, we are _not _using that thing again," he argues. "Just do that thing with the earplugs. It worked just fine the first time."

"Different…machine," the hacker argues back. "Have…to."

"Dammit," Pooch whispers and turns away. "Clay, you hearing all this?"

"Yeah," Clay answers quietly. "Just let me know before you put him back under that damn thing. I want to be there."

"Roger that," Pooch replies, then gives Cougar a questioning look. "What'd you do with the lab coat?"

Cougar smiles. "Outside."

"Would you mind…?" Pooch starts

He doesn't have to finish the question before Cougar nods, sending the man on his way to take out whatever revenge on the scientist he thought necessary. Showing the sniper the code to get the door open and shut, Pooch grips Jake's shoulder in support before heading out, letting Cougar take over on the computer.

"Okay?" Cougar asks the hacker.

Jensen sighs and forces himself to look back at the screen. He begins the process of rambling off numbers and letters again, not bothering to answer Cougar's actual question. He doesn't really have to; it's painfully obvious to both of them that he's most definitely _not _okay.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: **I'm back! Hold on to your Jensen teddies, gals, these are getting a lil faster and a lil more intense as I go along, here. JJ needs a huggle! The next update will come at you a little sooner, too. The muse has decided she wants to play with this story for a bit, so the next one's already in the works. :)

* * *

Pooch steps outside, a wide smile splitting his face when he sees what Cougar has done with the scientist. The man, his leg wounds haphazardly bandaged, is tied neatly to the top of Max's car, the driver nowhere in sight. He is on his back, the ropes forming a neat bow on top of his chest like a birthday present.

"Cougar, you are one sick sonuvabitch," Pooch laughs, strolling towards his "gift."

The scientist mumbles something through his gag, his tone pleading and desperate. Pooch puts his gun away, the grin falling off his face as he stands with his arms crossed, looking thoughtful as he contemplates where to start with the man. Coming to some conclusion, he steps forward and slowly pulls the bow apart, then roughly yanks the scientist off the car. He lands hard in the dirt with a muffled cry, which only serves to bring the smile back to Pooch's face briefly. It turns back into a dangerous scowl as Pooch squats down, leaning over the man's face.

"So you like to cut people, huh?" he snarls as he pulls the gag out of the man's mouth.

"It was just a small scratch," the scientist whimpers.

Pooch laughs coldly. "I can do small scratches, too." He flips open the pocket knife that seems to have magically appeared in his hand and with one quick slash, opens up a tiny cut in the man's arm. The scientist cries out more in shock than in real pain, causing Pooch to shove the gag back into the man's mouth. He smiles again. "I can do a whole _lot _of scratches…"

* * *

"Where are you, you little snake?" Clay whispers as he stalks through the building.

"If I catch him first, I'm not saving any for you," Aisha quickly informs him.

"Then I guess I'll just have to move faster," he smirks, ducking down the next hall just in time to avoid being seen by a group of soldiers.

The two of them remain silent for a while in their race to track down Max first, while at the same time trying to avoid becoming target practice for those members of the enemy militia that are still alive. They keep their comm. links open so they can hear each other as they progress through the compound, listening for any sign that their common target has been located.

"Fuck!" Aisha suddenly hisses.

"You hit?" Clay asks. He hears her curse again followed by what sounds like her boot making contact with the metal wall.

"He's gone," she snaps.

He peeks around the corner and backs further down his darkened hall, pressing his hand to his ear. "Say that again."

"Max. He's fucking _gone. _One of these control panels was an escape tunnel, damn near tripped over the damn door." She kicks it and it clatters across the floor a few feet. "I'm going after him."

"Negative, Aisha-"

"You are _not _my Colonel, Clay. I am _going _after Max."

Cougar's voice suddenly cuts in. "Colonel."

Clay looks in the general direction where he knows Aisha to be, then back towards the lab room. "Shit," he mumbles. "On my way. Pooch?"

"Already movin'," Pooch answers.

Aisha crouches down and crawls into the tunnel, only gets a little ways in before she hesitates, punches the wall, then backs out and makes her way to the lab, cursing to herself. She makes certain to inflict pain on any straggling soldier she happens to find along the way.

Clay grins when their paths collide. "Thought you were going after Max."

She holds a hand up and pushes past him. "Not now, Clay, or I swear to God I will break your face."

"Fair enough," he nods, and follows after her, still smiling.

* * *

Pooch races up to Clay and Aisha just as they reach the lab doors. "Colonel, we got a problem."

Clay arches his eyebrows. "This is _not_ our day."

"Yeah, no shit," Pooch replies. "Overheard one of the soldiers back there confirming a request for backup. We need to get this done fast and get out of here before the cavalry shows up."

"I could stay out here and deal with them," Aisha offers.

The sound of the front doors of the compound being blown off echoes down to them. Clay looks at Pooch and Aisha and shakes his head. "Too late. Cougar, get the door, I want everyone inside."

"Guess it's blow shit up and ask questions later for those guys," Pooch grumbles as he steps into the room.

Aisha follows him in, but Clay stops and goes back out in the hall for a few seconds. He tinkers with something on the door hinges before nodding to Cougar to close it, waving off the questioning looks from his teammates. "A little surprise for our new friends," he briefly explains, then looks at Jensen. "You ready for this?"

Jake looks up at the Colonel and his red-rimmed eyes look nearly vacant. He nods absently at the question, causing Clay to frown and turn to Cougar. "He still with us?"

"Yes," Jensen answers for himself. He slowly turns his gaze to the chair and the machine in the corner. "Help," he mutters.

"Jesus, you look like shit... This better work," Aisha says as she moves to wheel the apparatus back over to the chair. "Where's this thing go?"

Pooch helps her slide it back to position while Cougar and Clay practically carry Jensen to the chair. "And if it doesn't work?" Pooch asks, scrunching up his face in disgust as he lowers the metal rods back over Jake's face.

"Shoot…me…" Jensen answers, and they look at each other in alarm when they realize he means it.

Clay swallows. "How long before we know?"

"Day…tops," the tech answers.

"You're sure?" Cougar asks.

Jensen shudders again and gasps. When he can speak again he answers in a whisper. "Day…tops…_please_…" He sucks in another sharp breath. "...hurts_…_"

The Colonel shuts his eyes for a long second. When he opens them, he squeezes the tech's knee. "I'll do what I have to," he responds.

Jake's lips quirk up for a brief second. "Not…an…answer."

"That's as good as you're getting," Clay says.

Any other conversation is cut off by the sound of metal scratching against metal. They look towards the door as if expecting it to fly open any minute. "Now or never," Pooch points out.

"Do…it," Jensen demands.

Cougar crosses himself and flips the switch. They all step back as streamers of electricity shoot back into their friend's eyes and ears. His back arches off the reclined chair for several seconds before his body falls limp. This time he doesn't scream.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: **A total kick-ass action chapter! And I apparently decided there still wasn't enough whump in this story... I have issues... Oh, and uh *warning* - there's a bit of blood and violence in this one...

* * *

Jensen's eyes stay open as the miniature lightning bolts pour into them and his breaths come in short, sharp gasps. When he starts bleeding again Pooch rushes towards the machine, ready to turn it off, but Cougar stops him.

"It's gonna kill him, man!" the driver snaps as Cougar holds him back.

"He said wait," the sniper tells him in a tight voice, obviously not liking the situation anymore than Pooch does.

Pooch wrestles out of Cougar's grip. "Wait for what?"

A loud popping sound comes from the base of the device and they all step back as the thing short-circuits right in front of them. The bolts of electricity come to fizzling stop, leaving the machine smoking and Jensen looking almost lifeless.

"Get him out of there," Clay orders in disgust.

The team moves quickly to get the busted equipment as far away from the tech as possible, Pooch giving it a good, solid kick sending it crashing to the floor on its side. Cougar gently taps on the hacker's cheek trying to snap him out of his trance, but Jensen's only response is to let out one long, slow breath as his eyes droop shut. Clay looks at Cougar in alarm until the sniper checks Jake's pulse and nods that he's still alive.

"If he's good, can we deal with _that_?" Aisha asks, jerking her thumb towards the ruckus going on outside.

Clay pulls a detonator out of his pocket and tosses it to her before he leans down and hefts Jensen over his shoulder. "Back of the room," he tells the others, and they all move as far away from the door as possible.

Aisha grins. "Come on in," she says evilly and hits the button.

The big metal door explodes outward, barreling it's way into the men just on the other side and crushing them beneath its weight. Two more explosions go off a split second later, bringing a swift and messy end to the majority of the remaining threat.

"Let's move," the Colonel barks, then looks at the other scientist who is still unconscious on the floor. "Pooch, can you grab him?"

Pooch smirks. "No problem. He can keep his friend company." He laughs to himself as he hoists the man over his shoulder, settling the weight so he can still have one hand free to fire his gun with.

Cougar pushes ahead and takes out any remaining soldiers in the hallway, leading the way to the exit. Aisha volunteers to fall back to the rear so she can cover their escape, keeping the hindered Clay and Pooch between them. They all position themselves in such a way that if the bullets come flying in their direction, Jensen's chances of getting hit are the absolute least; it's an unspoken agreement that their man down is to be protected at all costs.

Light streams down the hallway from ahead as they near the outer exit where the doors have been blown off, and they're almost out when a couple grenades get tossed in front of them. Cougar dives ahead, hitting the floor in a slide just in time to grab both and throw them back towards the attackers. The men outside don't even have time to shout before they disappear in the dirt cloud that sends debris into the building. Clay steps back to shield Jensen from the worst of it, but has to practically drop his unconscious burden when shots ring out from behind them. Pooch does simply drop _his _charge as they all hit the ground firing, the sunlight silhouetting their frames as the dust from the grenade blast clears.

"We're sitting ducks in here!" Aisha shouts just before she's thrown back from the impact of a bullet slamming into her shoulder. The others move in quick to cover her as she sits back up, hissing in pain and anger. "Mother fucker," she mumbles, and empties her clip into the first person she sets eyes on. The man's head practically disappears in the shower of metal.

"Was that really necessary?" Pooch asks as he takes out another soldier. "You don't even know if that's the guy that shot you."

She grimaces as she jams a new clip into her gun, then sends him a wry smirk. "No, but it made me feel better." She aims and hits her new target in the neck, and the man goes down spraying arterial blood on the walls and his teammates. When the two behind him turn away for a second, Cougar takes advantage of the distraction and quickly dispatches the both of them. The Losers slowly inch back towards the doorway as they shoot, Clay gently pulling Jake along with them and Pooch half-assed dragging the scientist by the collar of his lab coat. When the man begins to stir Pooch simply hits him across the head again with the back of his gun, sending him back under.

Aisha arches an eyebrow. "Was _that _really necessary?"

He shrugs. "Probably not, but it made me feel better."

They share a smile as they go back to the task of covering each other's asses while they try to escape. They're finally able to reach the exit, and Clay peeks through first to make sure it's clear. He hears Cougar grunt and turns back to see the sniper dutifully ignoring a dark patch slowly growing on the lower right side of his shirt.

"Aisha, Cougar, get Jensen to that car. Pooch and I'll cover."

"What about him?" Aisha asks, and motions towards the scientist.

Clay fires down the hall again. "Leave him with us. If we can't get him out, so be it."

She nods and falls back beside Jensen with Cougar. "You ready?" she asks. At his nod they each grab one side of the limp tech and drag him out away from the gunfire. With their injuries it's awkward getting to the safety of the car, but they manage it in quick time. Positioning Jake in the middle seat, Cougar slides in beside him and slams the door shut on the side facing the building where they can still hear shots being fired inside. He rolls the window down slightly and points the muzzle of his rifle at the door before nodding to Aisha. She nods back and stands on the other side of the car, using it as cover as she also aims towards where Clay and Pooch should be making their run.

"We're in position, get your asses out here," she says, and is relieved to get an affirmative from both men through her comm. A few seconds later they come racing towards the car, Pooch still toting the scientist and Clay, now sporting an obvious limp, covers their retreat from behind.

"Pop the trunk!" Pooch shouts just as their pursuers make their first appearance through the door. Aisha and Cougar are quick to send them ducking back inside the building, giving her just enough time to lean into the driver-side door to hit the release latch on the trunk. Pooch is running so fast that he almost slides right past the car as he comes to a stop, but grabs hold of it with his free hand to both regain his balance and fling open the hatch at the same time. He looks at the bound scientist already inside and smirks.

"You're gonna have to move over, got some company," he informs the man, who immediately starts to frantically mumble against the duct tape covering his lips. As Pooch leans in to shove him over, the scientist looks down at the gun which is taped upright against the inside of the car with its trigger rigged up to various parts of his body. If he moves at all it'll go off, and the muzzle is aimed right at the place where Jensen once said he'd prefer it if the gun was pointed at his head. It was apparently having the same traumatic effect on this man.

Pooch pulls the gun out of the rig just before the trigger is squeezed and drops the other scientist inside, whipping the weapon up in time to help cover the rest of Clay's gimping run to the car. As the Colonel reaches the passenger side, Pooch slams down the trunk lid and rushes up past Aisha to take his usual driver's seat. She doesn't jump in until just before he throws the car in reverse, slamming her door shut barely in time to prevent it from coming off its hinges as the car skims too close to the gate of the compound. The transport specialist speeds down the winding road in reverse as the others hang out their windows, keeping up the cover fire ahead of them until they're out of enemy range.

As they come upon an area of the road that widens out, Pooch spins the car around effortlessly, but Clay tells him to stop before he can race off. The Colonel pulls another detonator out of his jacket and glances back at his teammates with a wicked smile. It fades as he takes in the sight of all of them in the full daylight – Aisha pressing a hand still clutching her gun against the hole in her shoulder, Cougar keeping his right arm tucked tightly against the bleeding wound in his side, Pooch with a line of red trailing from a thin graze above his ear that Clay doesn't remember seeing him get, his own leg throbbing in time with his heartbeat as he bleeds through adjoining holes in his calf, and Jensen…

The kid, his face partially hidden beneath a grotesque mask of bloody tears, sits slouched a little to the side with his head lolling onto one shoulder. If not for Cougar bracing him up, he would fall over onto the seat and be none the wiser; and if not for the tiniest rise and fall of his chest, he would look dead.

Clay reaches back and grabs one of Jensen's lifeless hands, wrapping the fingers around the detonator. Smiling sadly, he looks at his youngest charge. "Complete your mission, soldier," he says quietly, and squeezes Jake's thumb against the trigger.

A brilliant flash lights up the sky above the trees behind them, followed quickly by a plume of dark smoke. Clay turns back and nods to Pooch, giving him the signal to get them the fuck out of there. No one says a thing as they ride out, each seemingly lost in their own thoughts, their own pain, and their own prayers as they occasionally sneak little worried glances at the fading sun in their center.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: **Yeah! The touchy, feely, fixer-upper chapter! Well...that's how it starts, anyway, then it just goes downhill from there... Will the whump never stop? Ha! This is me we're talking about. :)

Forgot to thank my betas! Yup, you read that right, more than one now. Ais, of course, stay beautiful, babe. Mary, you're on as much crack as I am on a regular basis and I love you for that. Jess, welcome to insanity, glad you're enjoying the ride. And Telly, my dear, graduated from reviewer to beta just 'cause she's so freakin' awesome and now gets the benefits of first reads. Love you guys!

* * *

Max cocks one eyebrow at the black smoke filling the sky above the trees. "I'll get you next time, Clay," he mumbles, then cocks his head. "Huh. Well that was a very 'Inspector Gadget' thing to say."

He shrugs his shoulders and heads towards a small rock outcropping, climbing to the top as he pulls a Sat phone from inside his jacket. After dialing in, he taps his foot impatiently while he waits. "Finally," he says when someone picks up the other end. "I had a bit of a mishap… Well I wouldn't be calling you if I didn't need a ride, now would I?... The lab; or what _used_ to be the lab before _someone _blew it up… Seriously? I've been coming out here for how long and you don't know where it is?" He rolls his eyes at whatever his contact is saying. "Follow along now, it's very simple. You fly over the border, hang a left at the river, and look for the BIG CLOUD OF SMOKE. For Christ's sake, did I not just tell you the lab blew up? It's a better sign than a Vegas billboard!... Yes… Thank you."

With that he hangs up and makes himself comfortable on the rocks, sighing as he swings his legs back and forth over the edge. It was going to be a long couple of hours…

_**~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~**_

"You sure?" Pooch asks as Clay points out an old, dilapidated farmhouse off to the side of the road.

"It's the first shelter we've seen in miles," the Colonel responds.

"Yeah, which means it'll be the first place they look if they're coming for us," the driver counters.

Clay sneaks a quick look in the rearview mirror at the three in the back seat, none of them looking anywhere near healthy. "We need to stop," he says quietly.

Pooch says no more as he turns down the overgrown driveway. Once they're closer to the homestead they realize that the mass of greenery off to the side is actually a barn completely covered in vines, and partially crushed in by a fallen tree. It's just intact enough for Pooch to slip the car inside it, hiding it from view of searching eyes that might come from overhead.

With the ceiling on the barn so low and unstable, it makes getting the injured out of the car a slow, awkward process. Clay moves around to try to help Aisha but she practically snarls at him and waves him off, informing him in no lady-like terms that she can make it to the house on her own, thank you very much. He steadies her as she climbs out anyway, to which she doesn't complain.

"I'll see what I can do inside. Get your boys," she nearly whispers to him before she pulls away. She reaches back into the car to grab one of the packs Pooch had moved there while he had been toying with his scientist friend, then sets off towards the house.

"How 'bout you, Colonel?" Pooch asks. "You wanna head on in with her? I can get these two."

Clay shakes his head. "Take Cougar. I can handle Jensen."

With a nod, Pooch leans in and slips the sniper's arm over his shoulder. Cougar winces, breathing heavily as he is pulled from the vehicle. He tries to take back his own weight once Pooch has him on his feet, but the driver holds to him fast. "Take it easy man, I gotcha. We're gonna get you all patched up."

Cougar nods and looks back as Clay eases Jensen back over his shoulder. The Colonel stumbles on his first step, but catches his footing and grits his teeth as he steadies himself out. He looks up at the concerned gazes on his teammates' faces.

"I won't drop him," he grunts, and just to prove it maneuvers his way past them. He limps badly on his injured leg, but they can see that he is maintaining a strong hold on their unconscious friend. With a nod from Cougar they set out after him, all of them dutifully ignoring the blood trail that each one of them is leaving behind.

_**~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~**_

Once inside, they realize how long the dust-covered farmhouse has been abandoned. It's far from being a suitable place to set up a makeshift hospital, but they know how to work with what they have. Pooch makes a couple extra trips back to the car to get the remaining packs and to search the area for more water, knowing the little they have in their canteens isn't going to be enough. He finds an old well ("Thank you, God."), and hauls a bucket inside just in time to see Clay start in on Cougar. They have the sniper laid out on what was probably once a kitchen table and the only piece of sturdy furniture still left in the place, its surface covered in a few of the rain ponchos that had been in the bottom of the bags.

"How bad?" Pooch asks as he sets the bucket down, dumping some of the sterilization tablets into it.

"Caught him just in the side," Clay mutters as he finishes sterilizing the wound. "Bullet left a pretty deep channel."

"Just a graze," Cougar argues in a hiss.

Pooch leans over to take a closer look. "Right, if by 'graze' you mean 'Grand Canyon.'"

Cougar shakes his head, brushing off the concern. "Jensen?"

Pooch turns to where they've laid out the hacker on the floor, Clay's jacket tucked neatly under his head. Aisha sits beside him with a canteen and a torn strip of cloth doing her best to clean the blood from his face. She makes eye contact with Pooch and shakes her head – there's nothing they can do for him but try to keep him comfortable and hope he snaps out of it on his own.

"He'll be fine," Pooch tells the sniper, hearing the uncertainty in his own voice. Cougar doesn't question him on it, though, just goes back to focusing on the ceiling as Clay stitches him up.

Without looking away from his work, the Colonel asks Pooch quietly, "You want to take over for me here? She's too stubborn to ask for help… And then I want to look at your head."

"Trust me, I'll live," Pooch smiles as he takes the needle, letting Clay move off to tend to the other serious injury.

As he approaches she glances up at him and then stiffly begins to pull her shirt off. "Make it fast. I need to fix your leg after this," she says with a grin as he gingerly lowers himself to the floor.

He smiles back. "Sounds like a deal."

_**~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~**_

As night falls they remain in the heavy darkness of the lonely farmhouse, all too aware that even the light from a single small flame could draw unwanted attention. Clay sits back against the wall at Jensen's side, Aisha curled up asleep with her head on his lap. He glances up to the table where Pooch has made himself comfortable but seems to be hovering just on the outer edge of actual sleep. Cougar, his body unable to fight off the effects of blood loss any longer, lies in a state almost as deeply unconscious as the still-unresponsive hacker.

Or, at least he _was _unresponsive.

Clay leans forward as he thinks he hears the tiniest of whispers coming from the tech's mouth. Aisha stirs against his leg but doesn't wake, evidence of her own losing battle with her injury. He carefully slides out from beneath her so he can press his ear almost to Jensen's lips. A frown settles on his face as he listens to a prattle of multi-lingual nonsense streaming from the hacker. It seems like just a string of unrelated words, some Clay can recognize, most he can't even identify the language. It goes on for several minutes before it stops as abruptly as it began.

"Jensen?" Clay whispers, reaching out a hand to touch Jake's shoulder.

In a flash of movement the Colonel finds his wrist locked in a vice-like grip, the tech using his hold as leverage to pull himself partway off the ground. He stays that way for a bit, simply staring intently at Clay's questioning look.

"Jensen, are you with me?" the Colonel tries again, not wanting to move for fear of what the unpredictable soldier might do.

"Jensen, are you with me?" Jake mimics, coming eerily close to pulling off Clay's voice.

Pooch sits up slowly. "Clay?"

Jensen is on his feet before the Colonel can even think to react, rushing towards the table. "Pooch, move!" Clay orders, and the transport specialist complies instantly, rolling off the piece of furniture just as Jake slams into it. Both table and hacker go crashing to the ground where he lies still, almost panting.

"What the fuck?" Aisha mutters as she sits up. Cougar grunts in pain as he pushes himself against the wall beside her.

"Hey J, you all right man?" Pooch asks tentatively as he slowly gets to his feet.

There's a long silence before they hear Jake shuffling just slightly, their eyes not quite adjusted to the dark enough to see what he's doing. Pooch takes a few cautious steps forward before he freezes as the tech starts up another whispering mantra. It rises in volume just enough so that they all can hear him as he repeats the phrase over and over again like a broken record.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Clay staggers to his feet and limps over to Jensen, motioning for Pooch to stay where he is. As he gets closer, Jake's form becomes more visible and the Colonel nearly falters when he sees the new condition his man is in. Still whispering, the tech is huddled up on his knees in a fetal position, his hands interlocked behind his head and his face hidden between his arms. He rocks slightly back and forth with each repetition of the apology until Clay is practically hovering over him; then he freezes.

"Pozhaluĭsta, ne trogaĭte," Jake whimpers.

"What'd he say?" Pooch asks.

Aisha uses the wall behind her to help balance her as she stands. "It's Russian. He said 'Please don't touch.'"

Jensen turns his head slightly so that he's peering up at the Colonel. In the moonlight filtering through the window, Clay can just catch the glimmer of a tear and the question behind the tech's eyes. "One day?" Clay confirms, his voice tight.

Jake nods almost imperceptibly before he collapses onto his side, falling still once again.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: **My betas think I'm evil and bloodthirsty... I can't help it! Whumping is just too much fun! I'm sorry! ...Okay, I'm not really sorry, but I'll say it if it makes ya'll feel better... Those of you who are as sicko as I am, enjoy your further beating on Jensen happy fun times.

Mary, Ais, Telly, Jess - I heart you. Best. Betas. Ever. You guys make everything that much more fun and interesting. ;)

* * *

Clay trudges out to the barn where Pooch had tied both scientists to a highly unsturdy-looking support beam. There's fear in their eyes as he approaches and places one hand on the wood above them.

"I push this an inch in the wrong direction, I have just enough time to get out of here before the whole damn building comes down on your head," he reminds them angrily. They nod quickly and, satisfied, Clay leans down to pull the gag out of the mouth of the scientist that they had personally dragged out of the building.

Clay plasters on a smile. "You seem to be the more reasonable one. _Are_ you the more reasonable one?"

"Yes, please yes, I'll answer any questions, anything, just tell me what you want. Please just don't hurt me!"

The Colonel nods and cuts the guy loose, hauling him to his feet. When the other one starts to mutter through his gag, Clay gives the support beam a swift quick, shifting it just enough to let a trickle of dirt fall down on the man's head. "I didn't ask for your opinion."

As they head back to the house, the scientist hesitantly speaks up. "What, exactly, do-"

"That," Clay cuts him off and shoves him through the door, pointing at Jensen. "I need to know if that's normal."

Jake is lying in the middle of the floor now, the others circled around him but keeping a slight distance. The scientist looks on in confusion, seeing nothing more than his unconscious test subject remaining perfectly still. A few seconds later, however, Jensen's whole body spasms once, then continues to seize violently. When it ends he rolls over on his side and curls into a ball, wrapping his arms around his head as he mutters gibberish to himself. A few seconds go by before he falls quiet again and his body relaxes.

The scientist frowns. "I don't really know-"

"Wait," Clay sighs. "He's not done."

Almost as if reading his cue, Jensen suddenly sits bolt upright and looks around the room, ignoring the small trickle of blood escaping from his nose. When his gaze falls on Cougar he flinches back, his eyelids fluttering rapidly; and when he comes out of it, he almost seems to be a different person. He springs to his feet, eyes wide, and rushes to the sniper's side.

"Colonel, I got him! What's the ETA on that evac chopper?" Jensen says this with his hand up to his neck as if pressing on the button on their older comm. units. His eyes flick around the room as if searching for oncoming threats. "No worries, boss, we'll be there in ten," he answers to an invisible voice. Cougar stays still and lets the tech take the lead in the situation, biting back a groan as Jake drags him up to his feet and wraps an arm around his waist. "Come on, buddy, rendezvous point's not far. You can make it."

They take about two steps before Jake flinches again. This time when his eyes clear he takes a calculated look at the sniper before unexpectedly shoving him backwards. If not for Pooch's quick reflexes Cougar would've hit the ground hard; instead the transport specialist catches him and gently eases him down, a whispered exchange passing between them to make sure the sniper isn't further injured.

Jensen backs away, badly favoring his left leg as he points a nonexistent gun at Cougar. Breathing heavily, he wipes one hand under his nose, smearing the blood across his face. He glances up at the scientist and shakes his head. "¡No se mueva!" he shouts, his voice sounding almost desperate. A split second later he pulls the gun up and "shoots" the man before quickly pointing it back down at Cougar, pulling back on an invisible hammer.

Clay pushes the scientist to the floor. "Play dead," he snaps, his attention still glued to the scene in front of him.

"¿Dónde?" Jensen demands of his hostage.

Cougar says nothing, just watches as the tech's hands begin to tremble. Jensen sees it, too, and his face contorts as if he's fighting off tears. "Dammit, where are they?" he shouts, his pitch higher than normal in his state of remembered pain and frustration. He takes a step forward and crumbles to the ground, unable to support himself on the leg he believes to be injured. It only takes him a second to bring the "gun" back up though, aiming it at Cougar's face. "Tell me where they are, or I _will _shoot you," he hisses between clenched teeth. "¿Comprende?" Whatever Cougar's new personification does brings fear into the Corporal's eyes. "NO!" he shouts just before pulling the trigger, and Clay nods for Cougar to play along. Pooch steps back as the sniper performs his role, going limp on the ground.

Jensen drags himself forward on arms that look like they can barely support his weight. "Oh god, oh god, what did I do?" he whispers. When he reaches Cougar he grips the sniper's vest in both hands and pulls him up so they're face to face. "Where are they? _Please, _por favor. ¿Dónde están mis amigos?" Cougar bites his lip as Jake gives him a rough shake. "Where-" Some nonexistent noise in the distance makes him jerk his head up. He drops Cougar and scrambles back to where he had dropped the "gun", wiping quickly at his eyes as he mimics flipping open a chamber. With one hand he drags himself back to Cougar's side and searches through the dead man's pockets until he comes up with more imaginary bullets, slipping several into the "revolver" before snapping the chamber back in place. He looks off into the distance again for only a second before forcing himself to his feet in an attempt to flee from some new threat.

The flashback abruptly ends, sending Jake back down to the floor with a startled yelp that quickly escalates into an anguished yell. Clay and Pooch rush forward as Jensen goes from cradling his head to clawing at it, and when it becomes obvious that they can't hold him, Aisha and Cougar move in to help. Despite their myriad of injuries they manage to pin him down until he finally stops fighting them.

"How long?" he gasps.

Pooch squeezes his arm. "Your twenty-fours hours isn't even half over yet. You've got plenty of time to get through this thing."

Jensen doesn't take it as the good news it was meant to be. Instead, he makes a pathetic little whining sound deep in his throat and squeezes his eyes shut. The others continue to hold him until they feel his body relax beneath their touch, and even then they stay where they are for a minute longer before backing off.

Clay looks over at the scientist who is watching in what looks like utter fascination. "That's the fourth time in the last hour we've been through this with different memories every time. If we try to snap him out of it or alter the memory, things get...ugly. We need to know what's going on."

The man shakes his head. "Tell me everything you know and I'll see what I can figure out."

_**~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~**_

"The concept is genius, really," the scientist says with a touch of admiration in his voice.

"But will it work?" Clay asks.

The Colonel turns to look at where Jensen is huddled in a corner with his face turned against the wall, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. He nods slightly at whatever Cougar is quietly telling him but doesn't attempt to look at the sniper. The others are keeping their distance.

"Using the bots to reprogram each other most definitely would've worked," the man confirms.

Pooch steps closer to him. "What do you mean 'would've?' That's what he said he was doing, so will it work or not?"

"Well, clearly what he said he was doing and what he _actually_ did were two different things. A simple reprogramming would've taken minutes and he would appear entirely fine on the outside."

"But?" Aisha prompted.

He turned his attention to her. "The downside to that would be the simple fact that live nanotechnology would still be living in his head, prototypes nonetheless. Something could short-circuit; if someone else found out about them, a way to essentially reprogram his very behavior could be devised; he'd basically be a constant walking stick of unstable nitroglycerin if you think about it – a hazard."

Clay runs a hand through his hair. "He had us program those things to go in and destroy the others, didn't he?"

The scientist nods. "It appears that way, and the bots weren't exactly built to be vulnerable. There's essentially a war going on inside his head right now with his brain being used as the battlefield, and whether he'll make it out on the other side without any permanent damage really all depends on which side wins…and there's still the possibility that the sheer number of microscopic electric bursts from the bots' destruction may have some permanent side effects…"

Jensen sucks in a sharp breath and presses his head further against the wall, his whole body tensing up with pain. He bites his lip hard enough to draw blood in order to hold back the scream; but the second Cougar shifts forward to place a comforting hand on him, his tentative self-control is lost.

"No!" Jake shouts, practically climbing up the wall in an attempt to get to his feet faster. He looks at Cougar and at the others in the room with wide eyes and taking frantic breaths, appearing very much like a cornered animal. His voice drops to a pleading whimper as he hugs his arms against his chest. "You said you wouldn't… You can't… Touching – it sparks… Please don't hurt…"

As he slides down to the floor he shakes his head in an exaggerated manner and closes his eyes, as if trying to will away everything he doesn't like. Cougar whispers something to him but he just shakes his head that much harder. With a sad sigh, the sniper backs away slowly to stand by the others. Jake doesn't even look, just ducks his face and buries it with his arms. After a few seconds they can see his shoulders shake in silent sobs.

Clay turns back to the scientist. "Is there anything you can do for him?"

The man shakes his head. "Without the proper equipment, I'm afraid not. I'd say if the subject is still damaged after-"

His words are cut off by a hard right hook from Clay, sending him to a heap on the ground with a mouthful of blood. "You talk about him again like he's still a fucking lab experiment, I will end you in the most painful way your genius brain can imagine." After the man's frightened nod the Colonel gives him a disgusted look and turns to Pooch. "Put him back with the other one… and take your time if you want."

Pooch smirks. "I might just do that."

As Pooch hauls the man away Jensen calls out, "Colonel?" in a soft, wavering breath, keeping his face hidden. Clay limps over to him slowly and awkwardly squats down in front of him, being careful not to touch him.

"Right here," he alerts his Corporal.

Jake's voice breaks as he practically whispers out his next words. "…I don't think I want to do this anymore..."

The Colonel clenches his jaw and takes in a steadying breath. "The orders were for twenty-four hours, soldier," he reminds Jensen in a quiet, but strict tone.

Jake whines out a begging, "Nooo, please..."

Clay's voice softens further in response. "Just get through the rest of your day, and I promise you it'll be over… one way or another."

Red-rimmed blue eyes peer up at him from behind tucked knees. "Promise?"

The tone is so full of hope that Clay has to swallow back the burning bile threatening to come up. "Yeah, kid, I promise," he chokes out, then stands and walks away before he's forced to see the look of sheer relief on Jake's face. He leans heavily against the wall between Cougar and Aisha.

"You keep your promises?" she asks quietly.

Cougar answers for him with a grim tone. "Always."

_**~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~**_

Pooch returns a short time later, earning him a questioning look from Aisha. "Get bored with your toys already?" she asks.

He turns to where Jensen is still sitting in the corner, half dozing and staring off into space. "Clock's ticking, I wanted to be here… How is he?"

She shrugs and lowers her volume, sneaking a quick look at Clay who's sitting in the opposite corner busying himself with dismantling and reassembling the hand guns. "He's pretty fucking sure this'll end with Clay pulling the trigger, and he's pretty fucking happy about it."

"Shit," Pooch whispers, and heads over to the Colonel. "You don't have to do it, you know."

Clay roughly shoves the clip back into the gun he's working on. "I gave him my word."

"Look at him, Clay. He probably won't even remember you talked to him."

The Colonel lets the gun droop in his hand as he turns sad eyes on the youngest member of his unit. "That's the problem. He doesn't want to stay like that… He remembers his episodes, Pooch, remembers losing control. I think that hurts him more than the physical pain."

"I know, but that doesn't mean we have to stick to the one day plan, here. It's almost morning; we can get him in the car, take him to a hospital or something-"

They look up as they hear the door swing open and Aisha's sudden, "Shit!" as she goes dashing outside.

Cougar moves to follow but stops in the doorway, clutching at his injured side. He peers out into the fading darkness as Clay and Pooch rush up beside him. "Jensen," he mutters, "he's gone."


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: **Surprise! An update! And the beginning of this is sooooo not going where you thought it was, lol. Just keeping you on your toes, folks. You'll know what the means in like three seconds when I stop rambling, lol.

Writers Circle gals! Thank you all for the beta job and the entertainment and the encouragement. Ais, Mary, Telly, Jess, Lily, and Zoe - you crazy kids rock!

* * *

"Jensen, stop!" Aisha yells as she tries to catch up to him.

He sprints through the overgrown field with full abandon, increasing the distance between himself and his pursuer. She growls in frustration as she feels herself slowing, a side effect caused by the throbbing pain in her shoulder. Ducking her head down she digs deep for another burst of speed and runs with everything she has left, determined to catch him before he reaches the tree line.

She doesn't notice that he's stopped in his tracks until she plows right into him, knocking them both to the ground in a heap. "What the fuck?" she hisses as she grips her shoulder.

Jensen scrambles up to sit on his haunches, tilting his head as he looks at her curiously before bursting out into unexpected laughter. She sits up and stares at him, her face twisting from looking irritated with him to relieved that he doesn't appear to be in any pain for the time being. It switches back to looking angry when Jake slaps her hard in the arm.

"TAG!" he shouts and jumps to his feet.

"I. Am going to kill him," she mumbles, taking a moment to catch her breath before standing back up.

He's standing several feet away from her, still laughing as he taunts her with how she can't catch him. She rolls her head on her neck and presses her lips together before she goes after him, sending him into another giggling fit as he nearly screeches and dodges away. Doing her best to play along with his little boyhood flashback while still keeping him under control, she manages to put herself between him and the cover of the woods. Gradually, she starts herding him back towards the end of the field closer to the farmhouse where Pooch finally catches up to them. He watches the game play out for a few seconds before he's unable to stifle his laughter.

"Having fun?" he shouts to Aisha.

"Shut up and help me!" is her reply, which only makes him laugh harder.

Jensen stops weaving around and looks at the new player on the field, his eyes squinting in confusion. "That's not right," he mutters, pressing a hand to his forehead. A shudder rolls its way up his body, and when it passes, he drops his hand and storms over to where Pooch is standing.

"J, you with us?" Pooch asks.

Jensen stares at him for a second before throwing a fist right into his face. Pooch goes down with a grunt and Jake steps over him, glaring down at him as he rubs at his jaw.

"What the hell was that for?" the transport specialist asks, firing back with his own glare.

"The order was for twenty-four hours," Jensen spits out icily. He gestures towards his head. "Do you have _any _idea how much this fucking _hurts? _I _don't _want to go to a fucking hospital. I just want this to be done." Aisha steps slowly up behind him and he points back at her without turning his head around to look. "Stay. There."

She glances down to Pooch who subtly shakes his head at her as a sign not to try anything. He looks back up at the irate hacker. "Okay, J, I got it. I'm sorry. You're right, man, Clay promised you a day."

Jensen looks at him hard for a few seconds. "I don't trust you."

Pooch flinches at the casual, matter-of-fact way that his teammate says the words. He swallows and blows out a long breath before answering. "That's okay; it's not me you need to trust, is it? Clay's the one that calls the shots."

"You'll stop him," Jake shrugs. Aisha takes another step forward and he whirls on her. "I told you to stay!" he shouts and takes several steps away, putting distance between himself and the both of them.

"Easy, easy," Pooch says as he gets to his feet, holding his hands out to deter anyone else from moving. The tech's whole body is tense, ready to sprint again if the need calls for it. "I won't stop him, Jensen, it's on you and him. Just come back to the house and wait it out with us; there's only a few hours left, anyway, then this whole mess'll be over."

He catches Jensen's eyes flick over towards the direction of the house and cautiously looks over his shoulder to see Clay and Cougar slowly picking their way through the field. At the sound of a soft thud he looks back to find that the hacker has disappeared, hidden somewhere within the tall grass. He and Aisha rush over to see Jensen crumpled in the grass staring up at the sky and breathing heavily. They crouch down beside him and he turns his head slightly in their direction.

"I can't see," he says with a little chuckle.

Pooch reaches out a hand to reassure him, but thinks better of the action and pulls it back. "There a reason that's so funny?" he asks.

Jensen ignores the question and turns serious. "Did I hit you?"

"Already forgotten. Come on, let's get you back inside." This time he does take the chance and barely touches the tech's arm, and when no outburst comes, he nods to Aisha to help him get Jensen up. They brace him on wavering legs for a few moments and shoot each other a look of concern when he starts laughing to himself again.

"Is he okay?" Clay asks as he and Cougar finally get close enough to observe the strange spectacle.

"Oh, I'm juuuust fine," Jensen says between chuckles. He reaches a hand out in the direction of Clay's voice and waits until the Colonel moves into the touch, then pulls away from Aisha and Pooch. Clay hisses as the hacker stumbles into him, forcing him to compensate for the added weight on his injured leg. Once Jensen rights himself a little better, he leans into the Colonel's ear and whispers. "I think I have to disobey orders on the twenty-four hours, sir. The little soldiers worked faster than I thought." He pulls back and taps the side of his head with a finger.

Clay looks at him in confusion. "Are you saying it's done?"

Jake lets go and takes a few shaky steps back. He grins as he looks at them with sightless eyes and raises his arms out in a wide shrug. "Nothing hurts anymore." Laughing again, he missteps and falls clumsily back into the grass. "Ha. I feel like I'm drunk."

Cougar cocks an eyebrow at the others before moving to squat down in front of their wavering friend. Jake swings a hand up and accidentally grabs at Cougar's face, but quickly maneuvers it down to the sniper's shoulder and pulls him into a hug. "Things are about to get a little scary," he says quietly. "But it's okay. It's grand finale time, and everyone knows that's the best part of the show."

Before the sniper can comment, Jensen's whole body jerks violently in his grasp, just once, before going completely limp. "Jensen," Cougar calls, a distinct panic in his tone as he pulls Jake off his shoulders and cradles him in his arms. He looks up at the others as they gather around, a mortified fear in his eyes. "I heard…in his head..."

Clay swallows and places a calming hand on the sniper's back as Pooch hesitantly checks on the state of the lifeless hacker, blood trickling freely once again from his nose and ears. No one fails to notice the way that Pooch's fingers hover against Jensen's neck a little too long, or the unbearable silence he seems intent on keeping, or the fact that he refuses to look up at any of them. When he finally pulls his hand away and sits back, he keeps his eyes glued firmly the ground and shakes his head.

"No," Cougar whispers and hugs his best friend tighter against him. Clay turns away and walks off a few paces, hiding his face with his hand. Aisha stands stoically but bites her lip hard, unable to stop a few tears from sliding down her cheeks. Pooch presses his fingers against his eyes and sucks in a shaky breath. All for nothing. They had tried so hard, _Jensen _had tried so hard and put himself through so much pain, for nothing. In the end, none of it mattered.

As they shed tears around their fallen brother, they sink so far into their own private worlds of grief that none of them notice the tiniest rise and fall of Jensen's chest as he takes in a sharp little breath. It isn't until his body forces itself to draw in a full lungful of precious oxygen that Cougar finally feels the movement.

"Por favor, Dios," he whispers frantically as he pulls Jake just far enough away from his chest to recheck his vitals. The others watch with hope-filled intensity until they see a teary smile break out across the sniper's face.

"Mother fucker," Pooch chuckles, blowing the tension out of his body. Aisha grins and uses the back of her hand to rub the moisture from her eyes. Clay simply drops down in the grass, whispering out a quiet, "Thank God," to the blue sky above.

Jensen stirs weakly in Cougar's grasp, a soft moan escaping his lips. "Wake, mi amigo," the sniper gently coaxes.

Jake's eyelids flutter sluggishly for a few seconds before he gives up. "D'you see…f-fireworks?" he slurs, and cocks his head slightly. "Wuzzat noise?"

He slips back into unconsciousness before anyone can answer and they share concerned looks. "You think what that labcoat said…?" Pooch starts.

Clay shakes his head. "Get him to the car, we're leaving."

"Where to?" Aisha asks.

He looks down at the sleeping tech. "A hospital. He said this thing with the virus was over, but if he's not out of the woods yet, I want someone who knows what they're doing to be working on him."

"He's not gonna like that," Pooch points out.

"I don't care," Clay says gruffly. "_He _released _me _from the twenty-four hour promise, and from the looks of it he's not up to making his own decisions anymore. We're taking him to a doctor."

"And the assholes in the barn?" Aisha reminds him.

Clay smiles. "Put 'em back in the trunk. We're not done with those two, yet."

_**~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~L~**_

Nerves are fried. Sleep deprivation drains motivation. Hunger eats at stomachs. Worry gnaws at minds.

Jensen wakes up once during the leg of the drive that just barely gets them to a small hamlet where they can barter for gas, but he doesn't say much. Mostly he blinks owlishly at Cougar because the sniper is the only thing in his direct line of sight, mutters something about "smelling burning," and passes back out. With some uncomfortable difficulty, Cougar describes the sound he had heard in Jensen's head as having been a very faint "pop," akin to the Snappers that the hacker loves throwing at exposed arms and legs during the Fourth of July. They discuss the oddity and come to the conclusion that the tech must have programmed the "soldier bots" to self destruct after their mission was finished, therefore completely eliminating any future threat; all of them blowing at once is the only way to explain how an audible sound could possibly be heard from the outside. It also increases their concern regarding the resulting damage a series of electric microbursts on that level may have caused.

The second time Jensen wakes up he rolls his head to the other side and stares at Aisha for a little bit. She smiles at him and calls his name; he rolls his eyes up and to the side slightly as if thinking about something for a few seconds, then smirks and slides a hand clumsily across his lap to barely bump up against her leg.

"Tag," he whispers. "No tag backs."

She barks out a laugh and, looking content, he slips back into unconsciousness. Pooch asks her if Jensen was the one talking to her, or his kid self from the previous flashback. She's confident it was _their _Jensen, and it makes them all relax just a fraction.

They reach a larger town and decide to stop for food, sending Pooch out to get it since the bruising and butterfly bandages on his head make him look like he might be a car accident survivor instead of like he just stepped out of a war zone; which technically, they had. He returns with an assortment of edibles in hand, nothing too heavy, but making mouths water just the same. Jensen sniffs the air and stirs awake again, pulling his head away from the seat long enough to look around at everyone before letting it drop back against the cushion.

"Fuckers," he pouts.

Clay snorts out a laugh. "Cougar, see if you can help him eat something."

Basic motor function seems overly difficult for the tech, and with some trial and error, Cougar is slowly able to get him to consume several small pieces of soft fruit. Jake pushes the sniper's hand away when he's done, says, "Thanks," and rolls away to go back to sleep.

A bigger problem arises a while later when Jensen lightly taps Cougar on the hip and whispers, "I have to pee," into the sniper's ear. Pooch pulls the car over and Aisha gets out on her side so the hacker can slide out behind her. He tries, puts up a valiant effort, but only manages to scoot himself to the edge of the seat before admitting that he can't. Clay and Pooch get him between them and walk him away from the car, his legs moving on his command but otherwise unable to support his weight. They have to help him with everything but he's too out of sorts to be embarrassed by any of it. On the way back he tells Clay that he's the best Colonel ever, runs a friendly hand over Pooch's bald head, and promptly loses his struggle with staying in the waking world. They have to carry him the rest of the way to the car.

It's dark by the time they reach a city that has a decent hospital. Muscles are sore, injuries burn, and no one has the slightest idea what Jensen is brokenly rambling on about, but no one stops him because it's just such a damn relief to hear him using more than Cougar-length sentences.

They get the usual suspicious looks from the medical staff upon entry, but Clay is ready with their aliases they have created for just such situations and they're quickly accepted in as injured members of a still-active military unit who were ambushed in the field, one of their members taking electrical damage that may have affected his brain. As they're being shuttled into the back rooms to get their various injuries doctored up, they meet another wall as Jensen takes one look at the CT scanner and goes into a panic. The look he gives the others as they help hold him down for sedation screams of betrayal, and Clay fights the urge to vomit knowing the last time he saw that look on any of his men's faces was when Roque turned on them.

"It's not the same," Pooch quietly tells him once Jake is calm, apparently having felt the same way. Cougar stands back quietly, looking utterly disgusted with himself. Aisha respectfully stays out of the conversation. None of them are willing to leave the X-Ray area until Jensen is out and safely being carted to his own room to await the results. Pooch stays with him while the others get sent off for their patch jobs.

One by one the Losers migrate back into Jensen's room, sewn up, cleaned up, and donning scrubs. Hospital gowns are out of the question. Pooch takes his turn with the doctor just to double-check his healing wound, and returns a short time later equally scrubbed free of the dirt and blood that they had all come in wearing like a second skin. Jensen, who remains comatose under the influence of the sedative, would still look like he just crawled out of a fallen building if not for the hospital gown he was forced to wear for the scan. Jensen also hates hospital gowns. They make plans to rectify that situation as soon as he wakes up.

If he'll let them.

In the meantime all they can do is sit and wait and hope that whatever the doctor finds on that CT scan isn't what they all fear; and if it is, they'll deal with it personally. They'll take care of their own. Anything less _would _be betrayal, and that is _not _an option.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: **No, I'm not dead! I am so, so sorry it took forever to get this out! Thanks to all of you who've stuck with it, and for those who have poked and prodded at me to please not give it up. I never abandoned it, just had to set it aside for a little while. And thanks for all the reviews, too! Sorry to those who I didn't thank personally in a PM, just been crazy busy lately in RL.

Also, for any who are interested, I run a forum called The Beta Branch open to whoever wants to join. We post up our WIPs to the group as a whole, so we can get not only beta work done but also get feedback from several people at a time. It's very much a working system, and tons of fun, too! The link is on my profile if you want to check it out, but you won't be able to see the WIP section unless you actually register. We're a little overloaded with Avengers fans right now, so I'd love to see some more Losers folks jump on board! Come play!

* * *

Clay checks the clock for the thousandth time and scowls at it, seeming to blame it for the hours that have passed without them having heard from the doctors in regards to Jensen's test results. If not for Pooch's report upon returning from his "recon mission," Clay would've been threatening certain members of the medical staff by now with something probably very shiny and very sharp. As it stands, the necessity to treat a large influx of patients following some sort of traffic collision serves as just enough of a legitimate excuse to keep the Colonel's frustration focused on the clock.

Well, the clock and the fact that Clay knows damn well those x-rays are sitting on a desk somewhere, already analyzed and ready to be revealed.

He remembers back to happier times when Jensen was going off on another of his rambling explanations. The group was just out killing time in some mall somewhere and they walked past a photo developing shop. Jensen had laughed as the customer paid the extra money for the one-hour service.

"That's the biggest rip-off of all time," he stated. "I worked at a place like that one summer. Everything that comes in gets developed in under an hour. Actually, it's more like ten minutes. The only thing paying the extra fee gets you is being first in line, but really it makes no difference. See, we just ran the film through this big machine, and that only takes about thirty seconds to read all the images and put them up on a screen. The longest part of the process is looking through everyone's pictures and tweaking the color and red eye and whatever else is wonky before we actually printed them off. That's fun, by the way, getting to look at everyone's pictures. I don't think people realize that the workers actually study every single one." He had stared off into space with an amused smile for a few seconds before shaking his head, coming back to them. "Picturing developing. I've seen some ca-razy stuff."

The x-rays would be just like that. Clay had had his share of MRIs and the like, and he always noticed that the machine technician would be making marks on the images as they were being taken. By the time the scan is over, everything vital is already circled and noted for the doctors to easily see and diagnose. Just like those photos, the process probably only takes a matter of minutes. Well, maybe a few more so the experts can double-check their predictions with research, but still…

"You're a dick," Jensen suddenly mutters.

Clay stands up and limps over to the bedside, wondering if this little proclamation is an actual insult or just another of the random ramblings the hacker has been spewing off and on since he woke over two hours ago.

"If I agree with you, will it make you feel better?" Clay asks.

"No," Jake pouts, his glare doing nothing but bringing relief to the Colonel. For now, the kid is remarkably lucid and opting to speak to him, the insults much preferred to the dark silent treatment the Losers received the last two times Jensen had been fully aware.

Undaunted, Clay attempts to keep up conversation with his irritable tech. The others stay where they are, listening quietly, having already learned once that any undo movement or sound that Jensen isn't expecting could startle him back into his own head.

"You need anything? Water? Another blanket? Maybe get out of that hospital gown?"

Jensen slowly looks down at himself and picks at the gown in disgust, then looks up to see Clay's scrubs. The Colonel has to fight to hide his smile, knowing the tactic of bringing up the hated article of barely-clothing would entice the man into further communication. He had been saving it for this very moment, waiting for Jensen to instigate the conversation.

Blue eyes rove from Clay to Aisha to Cougar to Pooch, then shift back towards Cougar. "That color," he demands in his weak tone.

Pooch can't stop the snorted laugh from escaping his lips. The sniper had complained earlier about the bright green he had been stuck with, wondering how it was that Clay had wound up with a dark maroon and Pooch with an even darker purple. Even Aisha's pastel-teal would've better than the blinding green Cougar had been shafted with. Of course Jensen would love it.

The small sound draws Jensen's attention back to Pooch, and breaths are held as everyone wonders how the tech will react to the unprompted noise. "Well?" he simply asks.

"Well what, J?" Pooch asks gently.

"Scrubs. Green. Go," he orders.

Pooch and Clay share a smile before Pooch gives Jensen a little salute and sets off on his mission. Taking it as a good sign, Cougar and Aisha slowly move closer towards the bed, wanting to be involved in this moment of Jensen being Jensen. They continue to allow Clay to do the talking, though.

"Need anything else? You hungry?" the Colonel continues.

Jake seems to think it over for a second before bringing a hand up to cover his eyes. He stays that way long enough for the others to think they've lost him again, but finally he mumbles, "Test results?"

Clay sighs. "Haven't heard anything, yet."

Nodding, and keeping his face partially covered, Jake speaks a little softer. "Not doing it again. No more scans."

"Jensen-" Clay starts.

The hand pulls away to reveal a hard glare - determined, frightened, and threatening at the same time. He puts a little more power in his voice. "I can't, Clay. Not again."

The Colonel reads the message underlying the statement: _I'll forgive you once, but once is all you get. _

He nods and pats Jensen on the leg. "No more scans," he promises.

Jensen studies him for a second before voicing, "You're still a dick."

A tiny smile quirks at his lips, bringing matching looks to the rest of the team. Some of the thick tension in the room evaporates not just due to the fact that he's let them off the hook, but also because his mental faculties must be in order enough for him to understand why they had forced him into that scanner in the first place. He wouldn't be forgiving them so easily if he wasn't able to puzzle out the logic behind their actions.

Pooch returns with the requested green scrubs and grins as he sees his teammates interacting with one another. He had missed the moment, but he doesn't miss the fact that the air in the room suddenly doesn't seem as heavy as it's been over the last several hours.

"You guys done with your little kiss and make-up session?" he jokes.

Jake rolls his eyes. "Just gimme the clothes."

"One pair of ugly-ass, toxic green scrubs coming right up," Pooch says, walking over and laying the scrubs on the bed.

The pleased look on Jensen's face quickly gets replaced with one of concentration as he struggles to sit up enough to reach for the shirt. Without a word, Cougar gently stops Jake's struggle with a hand to his chest, then presses the button on the side of the bed to raise it up into the sought-after position. Jensen flashes him a grateful smile as he grasps the coveted shirt, then arches an eyebrow up at Aisha.

"What? Is somebody shy?" she teases. At his more pointed glare, she grins and moves for the door. Before she closes it behind her, she says in a more mischievous tone, "Maybe I'll just go see what those doctors are up to."

_**~L~L~L~L~L~L~**_

"It's alright, J, nothing to be sorry about," Pooch says as he pats Jensen's leg. The tech, sitting on the edge of the bed with his legs dangling off the side, is leaning heavily into Pooch, the transport specialist being the only thing that's keeping him upright. The hospital gown is still on but twisted horribly out of place, and the scrub pants are halfway pulled up, only staying where they are by Jensen's weak grip on one side of the waistband.

"Why can't I do this?" Jensen mumbles in frustration into Pooch's shoulder.

Clay leans down in front of him, reaching out to gently grip the wrist of the hand holding the pants up. "I think a few robots electrocuting your brain might have something to do with it. You're not going to just bounce right back from that."

With a sigh and a short nod, Jensen maneuvers himself so he's sitting up a little further. Keeping his gaze down, his face flushes slightly as he speaks. "You think if I, um, shift my weight around a little, you guys could…."

"No problem," Clay answers, nodding at Cougar to come help him slide the pants up the rest of the way while Pooch continues to support Jake from his position on the bed. It's an awkward process, with the guys having to do most of the work despite Jensen's best efforts at trying to help. By the time they get to the shirt the tech isn't even trying anymore, just allowing his arms to be bent around as easily as a rag doll's. His utter silence as they ease him back into the pillows is unnerving enough for Cougar to be the one to shatter the somber mood.

"I tied a man to a car," he blurts out.

The statement is successful in getting a reaction from the brooding patient. "Please tell me my ears aren't messed up, too, because I swear you just said you tied a man to a car."

Pooch laughs. "Nope, your ears are fine. Wrapped up one of those guys we've got locked in the car like a birthday present, bow and everything."

Jensen looks back and forth between the two, his eyes lighting up just a little bit. "Why?"

Before they can fill Jensen in on everything he missed while the nanobots ran rampant through his system, a loud knock comes on the door.

"Everybody decent?" Aisha asks. "Picked up a couple stray doctors in the hall."

She cracks the door open, and when there is no immediate objection, she pushes in the rest of the way. The _what took you so long?_ comment that she had wanted to throw as a friendly barb dies on her lips as she takes in how suddenly exhausted Jensen looks. Instead, she flashes him a crooked grin and says, "I didn't think it was possible judging from Cougar's looks, but I have to admit, 'radioactive snot' is _not _a bad color on you."

"Thanks," Jensen mumbles absently, but his eyes are glued to the doctors and the file folder clasped in one of the man's hands.

"Mr. Jacobs, happy to see you awake," one of them says with a soft smile. "How are you feeling?"

Jensen shrugs, unfazed by the use of the alias – they're all used to going by fakes names at this point. "Tired. Can't move around very well. Otherwise just peachy."

The doctor nods. The other one steps forward slightly. "Mr. Jacobs, I'm Dr. Ires, and this is Dr. Rauth, the resident neurosurgeons here at Victor Memorial. We've been studying your file, and-"

"Should they be sitting for this?" Jake interrupts, nodding towards his also less-than-healthy teammates. "Some of them look like they might keel over any second now."

Clay shakes his head, knowing the diversionary tactic for what it is. As much as Jensen had wanted to know what was going on with him, actually being faced with the results had thrown the game up to a new level.

On the other hand, as Clay looks over his people all stitched and clean, he does notice that they all do look a little more tired than any of them will actually admit. They'd been so worried about Jensen that they neglected to remember their own injuries, himself included. Of course, being on pain killers had made it that much easier…

By the look on Dr. Rauth's face, he appears to be running through the same thought process. "That's not a bad idea, Mr. Jacobs. Gentlemen, Ms. Fatin. Please, have a seat."

As they get comfortable, Dr. Ires takes over the conversation again. "Before we start, I'd just like to make it very clear that while Victor Memorial offers the best medical service it can, we are a smaller facility in the way of offered services."

Pooch shifts in his seat. "What, exactly, does that mean?"

"It means," Dr. Rauth continues, "that as capable as Dr. Ires and myself are at common neurological procedures-"

"We fully admit to the fact that there are many…anomalies that fall outside our range of expertise," Dr. Ires finishes.

Jensen lets out a huffy sigh. "I'm an anomaly, aren't I?"

Ires nods. "According to your scans, you are suffering burns and scarring in various areas of your brain, which by itself is a concern, but not necessarily a permanent one. In time, those will most likely heal to a point so as to not to be hindering any of your normal functions."

Clay leans forward. "So what's the real issue?"

Ires and Rauth glance at each other before Rauth answers. "The test results of the brain activity scans were…unusual, to say the least."

"Unusual?" Cougar repeats, lifting an eyebrow.

"Yes…" Ires draws out, looking at the results in his hands again as if not believing what he's seeing on the paper.

Aisha snaps her fingers at him. "Hey. Cut it with the suspense bullshit."

Ires shakes his head. "Sorry, yes, well, what we're seeing is almost…how do I explain this? It's as if someone has gone in and rewired a circuit board. The proper signals are all there, but they're firing in the wrong directions at almost random intervals. Sometimes they stay on the right path, other times they stray."

Jensen snorts out a little nervous laugh. "That sounds like me on a good day."

A little smirk creeps onto Clay's lips at the tech's attempts to lighten the mood. Leave it to Jake to make light of what is clearly a very serious situation.

"So, what can we do about it?" the Colonel asks.

Rauth frowns, looking apologetic. "Nothing, I'm afraid. As we said, we aren't equipped to handle certain types of anomalies. Trying to essentially rewire brainwaves on this level…we could try, but I'm certain we'd do more damage than we'd do good."

The team look from the doctors to Jensen, seeing the humor leave his face. "What…exactly…does that mean?" he asks. "For me, specifically."

"Well," Ires starts, taking a deep breath. "As we've never come across something like this before, it's a bit hard to predict. I'd hazard a guess that it _will _cause any number of complications, including lack of motor function, possible memory lapses, you may find your speech or your senses cut off for short intervals of time-"

"Christ," Jake mumbles. "I get it. You can go now."

"But, Mr. Jacobs, we have yet to discuss-"

"Please, just go. You can come back and tell me about your crappy treatment options later. We all know they won't work."

Rauth and Ires give him and the others a sympathetic look before standing and heading out the door. "We're very sorry," Rauth says quietly, as he closes the door shut behind him.

There's a silence in the room for a few minutes before Clay stands up again. "Jensen-"

"Right back where we started," the tech sighs. "You realize that, right? From what that guy just said? My brain is going to do exactly what those robots were already doing, only now it's running on its own program."

Pooch shrugs. "They didn't say anything about there being pain," he offers hopefully. "That's a step in the right direction."

"Yeah, well, I could fall over after the _next_ step," Jensen snaps. "I'm fucking useless."

"Those doctors are fucking useless," Aisha mumbles.

Clay jerks his head in her direction, a thoughtful look crossing his face.

"Uh oh," Pooch states, "Colonel's got that 'I got an idea' thing going on."

"I might," Clay answers, an absent quality in his tone. He comes back to the real world and offers them a hopeful grin. "_Those _doctors are useless, but we happen to have a couple neurological geniuses packed away neatly in the car, don't we?"

Aisha's evil smirk grows to match his. "Yes, we do. Come on, Pooch, let's go fetch."

"'Fetch the Labcoat' is the Pooch's favorite game," he answers almost giddily.

Jensen arches his eyebrows as they leave the room. "That sounded…scary. You're letting those two spend too much time together."

Clay shakes his head. "You have no idea."

Cougar lets out a soft chuckle and makes his way over to the side of the bed. He sits down on the edge and rests his hand on Jensen's knee. "We'll figure it out, my friend," he states quietly.

"God, I hope so." Jensen offers him up a small smile. "There's a new video game coming out next month. If I can't-" The smile drops, to be replaced with a look of confusion. "What was I just talking about?"

Cougar and Clay share a concerned glance.

"Video games, Jensen, video games," Clay offers, and waits as Jake tries to latch onto the memory. He can't, and turns his face to the side, already back to being frustrated with the situation.

"We'll figure it out," Clay repeats Cougar's words, and hopes to God that they can.


End file.
